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CONTENTS. TRACTION ee AS Sect Ounces 2 to: UB} CuO CIN Ose OmOMeOIRo pce ue. 2 25 Deals Physiography of the Region 7.) 3) sas sire es) ge eh ee oh es 17 Elistory and. Nomenclature |. .(5 2 2. ee )s 826 se Hie 2s ite 18 Notes on Distribution and Variation . .......+. 5++ 5 ses» 20 Subgenera of North American Squirrels... 2. e+ ee ee ee ees 23 HEE ELON SPE CIOS Med veniarvaitah (euler inl ollie ts Wehiie eine uel #)/ 08, folie es 1 libel Gale aie 33 List of Species with Type Localities. . . . 1 2. 2 ee et ee 8 36 Systematic Descriptions of Species... 2. 1 1 ee ee ee ee eee 38 INTRODUCTION. Tue arboreal squirrels inhabiting the region between the southern border of the United States and the Isthmus of Pan- ama have been studied by several authors, notably J. E. Gray, E. R. Alston and J. A. Allen. The material at the disposal of these revisers was of the most fragmentary character, often without definite localities and in poor condition, hence it is hardly surprising that their conclusions are unsatisfactory. During the past few years the quantity of material has been greatly increased and its quality much improved. Mr. G. K. Cherrie and Sefior Anastacio Alfaro in Costa Rica; Dr. Chas. W. Richmond in Nicaragua; Mr. A. Forrer, the Lumholtz Ex- pedition, and the late Dr. Audley C. Buller in Mexico, and Dr. E. A. Mearns, U. S. A., on the Mexican Boundary, have 1Recommended for publication by the Biological Society of Washington, February 25, 1899. Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1899. (15) 16 NELSON contributed largely to the extent and value of recent collections. The bulk of new material, however, has been gathered by Mr. E. A. Goldman and myself. Since 1891 we have been engaged in making explorations for the United States Bio- logical Survey, under the Department of Agriculture. Western Guatemala has been explored and Mexico has been repeatedly traversed from north to south and from sea to sea. ‘The routes of nearly every naturalist whose work is recorded have been fol- lowed, and almost all the known type localities of Mexican mam- mals have been visited. The series of squirrels thus brought together has given an insight into the relationships of the mem- bers of this group, which lack of material had hitherto rendered impossible. Moreover, familiarity with the topography of the country and the geographic distribution of Mexican and Guate- malan species gave me advantages not possessed by any pre- vious worker on Neotropical squirrels.' During the preparation of the present revision I have been able to examine representatives—and in most cases types or topo- types—of nearly all the known species and subspecies found in Mexico and Central America. Dr. C. Hart Merriam, who had already done some work on the group, generously placed in my hands his MS notes and the Biological Survey series of more than 600 specimens; Mr. F. W. True, Executive Curator of the U. S. National Museum, gave me the use of the National Museum series, and Dr. J. A. Allen, Curator of Mam- mals in the American Museum of Natural History, forwarded the Tropical American squirrels, including the types of his spe- cies, in that collection. These additions brought the total num- ber of specimens up to 919. But after a little study it be- came evident that, in order to reach satisfactory conclusions on many questions of synonymy, definite information was necessary concerning the types of species described by Gray and others. Accordingly, a series of specimens from the U.S. National Museum and Biological Survey collections answering as closely as possible to the imperfect published descriptions, was sent to Mr. Oldfield Thomas, Curator of Mammals in the British Mu- seum, for comparison with the types preservedin London. Mr. 1T am especially indebted to Dr. T. S. Palmer for many valuable suggestions, particularly in connection with the nomenclature and synonymy. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 17 Thomas responded very handsomely, devoting considerable time to the comparison and returning the specimens with an- notations which have made it possible to state authoritatively exactly what species were represented. Within the area covered by the present paper Gray, in 1867, recognized 18 species and varieties, Allen in 1877, 6 species and 3 varieties, and Alston in 1880, only 7 species. As a result of the accumulation of modern material a number of new forms have been described by various authors, and in the present re- vision 43 species and subspecies are recognized.* In order to understand the relationships of these numerous species it is necessary to have a general idea of their surroundings and the topographic features of the region they inhabit. PHYSIOGRAPHY OF THE REGION. Mexico and Central America present great contrasts of topo- graphic and climatic conditions, accompanied by wonderful variety of animal and vegetable life. The mountain ranges fronting the two coasts of Mexico, and uniting near the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, are of great magnitude and form the outer border or rim of the broad interior tableland. Southward the continental area is narrow and the elevated interior correspond- ingly reduced. One of the most characteristic features is the comparatively level lowland skirting both coasts between the sea and the base of the mountains. This coastal plain is some- times 100 miles wide and often broken by hills or low ranges of mountains which extend out from the main interior ranges as short spurs, or rise island-like in the midst of the plain. The hills reach the sea at many points but usually the country near shore is level. The northern parts of the coastal plains, except a very narrow belt along the east shore of Mexico, lie within the Lower Sonoran zone and in passing southward, gradually merge into the Arid Tropical. On the west side the arid char- acter of the coast belt extends at least to Costa Rica, but on the east coast it gives way in the southern half of Vera Cruz to the Humid Tropical zone which, with the exception of the arid 1 Several South American species have been reported from the Isthmus of Panama but in the absence of any material have necessarily been omitted. 18 NELSON tropical peninsula of Yucatan, continues on to the Isthmus of Panama. The Arid Tropical areas are characterized by low scrubby forests; the Humid Tropical by greater luxuriance of vegetation. The rainfall on the mountain slopes facing the sea on both coasts is much heavier than on the adjacent lowlands, and is distributed more generally throughout the year, produc- ing a heavier forest growth. In eastern Mexico this ¢auses a northward extension of the Humid Tropical area, in the form of a long narrow tongue along the mountains, which reaches eastern San Luis Potosi. On the west coast the uniformity of the Arid Tropical area is broken by humid tropical islands at intervals along the mountains northward nearly to the border of Guer- rero, and by belts of heavy forest along streams flowing through the plains. Above the Tropical zones in Mexico the higher mountain slopes extend through all the succeeding life zones to extreme timberline, and in Central America to altitudes varying from 6000-14,000 feet. Differences of altitude are always accom- panied by climatic changes, but in addition local causes also often exert a marked influence. Thus the proximity of high mountains, or the trend of a range or spur in relation to the course of the prevailing wind, frequently has a direct effect upon the rainfall of the surrounding district. In Vera Cruz the north and northeast slopes of mountains are by far the most humid owing to the fact that during the dry winter months ‘northers’ prevail, bringing fogs and rain. A striking example of the climatic differences that may exist within a limited area is afforded by the slopes of Mt. Orizaba, in western Vera Cruz. The top of this mountain rises over 18,000 feet above sea level and is perpetually covered with snow; its southeastern base reaches the hot coast plain, and at an altitude of 800 feet the foothills are covered with a humid tropical forest so dense in places that the dew drops all day from the undergrowth; while on the opposite side, at an altitude of 8000 feet, lie the arid treeless tablelands. HISTORY AND NOMENCLATURE. The first tree squirrel of tropical North America to receive a distinctive scientific name was Sczurus aureogaster, described SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 19 by F. Cuvier in 1829. During the succeeding decade a few species were described, and in 1839 Bachman’ published sev- eral additional species from Mexico. The first general enumera- tion of Tropical American squirrels appeared in 1842 in Les- son’s ‘ Nouveau Tableau du Regne Animal,’ in which seven species were mentioned from the region under consideration. During the next 25 years Wagner, Schinz, Peters, and Gray described a few species, Audubon and Bachman gave ac- counts of several in their ‘ Quadrupeds of North America’ (1851-54), and Baird in 1857 referred briefly to the Mexican and Central American species in his ‘ Mammals of North America.’ The year 1867 was marked by the publication of two papers, Fitzinger’s ‘ Natiirliche Anordnung der Nagethiere,” which included 10 species and subspecies of squirrels from Tropical North America; and, a few months later, Gray’s ‘ Synopsis of Species of American Squirrels in the Collection of the British Museum.” The latter paper recognized 18 species and varieties north of Panama, several of which were supposed to be new, and was the first formal attempt to revise the Neotrop- ical squirrels. Gray paid little attention to the work of pre- vious authors and consequently renamed a number of species. His descriptions were poor, the synonymy badly involved, and some of the species were given impossible ranges. Dr. J. A. Allen, in revising the group in 1877,* not only had the hope- less task of untangling Gray’s results with the scanty material afforded by the museums in the United States, but was further handicapped by the prevailing tendency of the time to lump species, and as a consequence did not clear the ground. In the following year, 1878, Alston published a paper ‘ On the Squir- rels of the Neotropical Region,” based on an examination of series in the Berlin, Paris, and British museums, with additional specimens sent him by Dr. Allen. Alston states that this material included the types of forty-one nominal species. In this revision 7 species were recognized as living within the limits 1 Charlesworth’s Mag. Nat. Hist., III, p. 334, 1839. 2 Sitzungsber. Akad. Wiss. Wien. math.-nat. Cl., lv, pp. 474-480. July, 1867. %Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d Ser., XX, pp. 415-434. October, 1867. 4Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, 1877. 5 Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 656-670. 20 NELSON of Mexico and Central America, as against 6 species and 3 varieties enumerated by Allen. In the Mammalia of the ‘ Bio- logia Centrali-Americana,’ published in 1880, Alston again recognized 7 species—no more than those mentioned by Lesson in 1842. This wholesale lumping of widely separated species— sometimes under a name inapplicable to any of the forms placed under it—left the group even more complicated than before. Dr. Allen followed Alston’s paper of 1878 by a ‘Synonymatic List of American Sciuri, or Arboreal Squirrels’”* in which he adopted the latter’s conclusions. ‘Trouessart, in his ‘ Revision du Genre Ecureuil” in 1880, proposed several subgenera and a few months later enumerated the species in his ‘ Catalogue des Mammiféres Vivants et Fossiles’ (Rodentia) .* During the last 18 years no extended papers on Neotropical squirrels have appeared, but a number of species have been de- scribed from Mexico and Central America by Allen, Thomas, Merriam and myself. NOTES ON DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION. Tree squirrels occur in suitable places throughout Mexico and Central America but the distribution of the various species depends largely upon the character of the forests. Thus Sczurus negligens is most abundant in the low, dense forests of ebony, less than twenty-five feet high, on the hot coast plains, while its near relative S. deppez loves the shady depths of humid trop- ical forests on the lower mountain slopes where the damp air produces an exuberant tree growth and an abundance of para- sitic plants. The pigmy Sczwrus alfarz, first mistaken by its discoverer for a bird—a Dendrocolaptine creeper—also lives in similar surroundings in the mountains of Costa Rica. The large species exist under even more varied conditions since they occur from the hot coast country to the region of oaks and pines close to timberline, but the ranges of different species or subspecies are never coincident and overlap only in a few in- stances, as in the case of S. colliet nuchalis and S. poliopus 1Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geog. Survey Terr., IV, pp. 877-887, 1878. 2Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, pp. 290-293, Oct., 1880. 3 Bull. Soc. d’Etudes Sci. d’Angers, X, pp. 76-82, 1880. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 21 colimensvs on the coast of Colima, and .S. apache and S. durangi in the Sierra Madre. No such antagonism exists between the large species (subgenus Achénoscéurus) and the smaller ones (subgenera Guerlinguetus and Microsciurus) which frequently occupy the same ranges. Many species change their environment by periodical migra- tions in search of food, moving from one locality to another with the ripening of fruits or seeds upon which they subsist. This is most marked on high mountains where a species may have a vertical range of many thousand feet. Dr. Buller obtained a specimen of Sccurus poliopus cervical’s among the pines on the Sierra Nevada de Colima at an altitude of 12,000 feet, but when we visited this mountain at another season, gnawed pine cones were abundant near the summit, but the squirrels had de- scended to lower levels and were feeding on wild figs and acorns at an altitude of 4000-6000 feet. In eastern Queretaro and northern Hidalgo, S. aureogaster, a tropical species which usually ranges below 4000 feet, was found in winter among the oaks and pines above 8000 feet alt. S. depped likewise at times wanders high above its normal range. The effect of climate on the character of the pelage is so marked that it is possible to tell with considerable certainty whether a species belongs to the tropics or to the higher moun- tains. ‘Tropical species have thin pelage, short thin under fur, and coarse, stiff, or almost bristly dorsal hairs; those of the Transition and Boreal zones have thick soft pelage with long dense under fur. These differences are sometimes strikingly shown in subspecies of the same squirrel: thus the tropical Sciurus aureogaster hypopyrrhus has thin coarse pelage, while S. aureogaster frumentor, which ranges between the altitudes of 6000 and 8000 feet on a cold mountain slope, has dense soft pelage. Species of the hot coasts of Central America are char- acterized by peculiarly coarse, shining, bristly dorsal hairs. Seasonal differences in pelage are usually slight, since there is no area of heavy snow fall or long continued cold weather ex- cept in the Sierra Madre of Durango and Chihuahua. Indi- vidual variation, on the other hand, is often excessive and ren- ders some species extremely difficult to describe. The large 22 NELSON number of species and subspecies of these squirrels, together with their great individual variation, have hitherto proved an insuperable stumbling block in their treatment. The large series now available for study shows that the group as a whole is in a state of evolution and has developed groups of closely related species or well marked geographic races, often within very limited areas. For example, in the State of Vera Cruz, the typical form of Sceurus aureogaster occurs throughout the northern part, S. aureogaster frumentor on the west-central border, and S. aureogaster hypopyrrhus in the southern part. Many of the subspecies are so different from others of the same species that without the intermediate series no one would for a moment suspect their specific identity. The extraordinary amount of geographical variation in trop- ical North American squirrels is due mainly to an unusual plas- ticity of organization which allows slight climatic differences to produce a visible effect. The most obvious of these influences are differences in temperature and rainfall.with their distribu- tion through the year, and consequent effect on the vegetation. The cool forests of the Transition zone in the interior of southern Mexico and Guatemala are characterized by moderate rainfall and have what may be called an inland climate. The forests of the same zone on the mountains bordering the hot coast plains, exposed to the moisture bearing winds from the sea, re- ceive a much greater annual rainfall accompanied by cloudiness and mists, resulting in an exuberance of vegetation not found elsewhere in this zone. The effects of these differences in hu- midity upon the squirrels are beautifully illustrated by Sczurus poliopus and its subspecies. For example, subspecies hernan- dezt, nemoralis and cervicalis, of the drier interior mountains, are characterized by dull grayish upperparts and white under- parts, and the absence of sharply contrasting nape and rump patches. Sccwraus poliopus and its subspecies effugzus inhabit mountains near the coast, and the effect of the increased humid- ity is marked by the striking contrast between their gray backs and bright ferruginous underparts. In addition, efugzus has an unusually dark nape patch and brilliantly white ear patches. Increased humidity within the tropics, also, is usually accom- SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 23 panied by increased intensity of coloration. This is well shown by the dark, rich colors of Sccurus aureogaster hypopyrrhus of the humid tropics compared with the paler colors of the closely related S. aureogaster, of the arid tropics a little farther north. A similar intensification of color is characteristic of the squir- rels inhabiting the humid east coast from Vera Cruz to Pan- ama, as contrasted with the paler species of the more arid west coast from Mazatlan to Costa Rica. SUBGENERA OF NORTH AMERICAN SQUIRRELS. The tree squirrels of North America may be separated into ten groups, distinguished by cranial, and sometimes by external characters. Six of these groups have been already recognized as of subgeneric rank, and four others are here named. In discriminating the subgenera of squirrels one of the charac- ters on which much stress has been laid is the presence or absence of the small upper premolar. The discussion of the groups in detail is prefaced, therefore, with a few remarks on this tooth. Trouessart makes the erroneous statement that in the subgenus Macroxus the upper molar series is often } in the young and 4 in the adult, adding that the rudimentary premolar is more or less speedily shed.! Under MJacroxus he names six Tropical American squirrels, viz., aureogaster, @stuans, hoffmannt, deppet, chrysurus, and pusillus. Of these @stwans and hoff- mannt never have the extra premolar, while all of the others, with the possible exception of chrysurus, always have it in the adult skull. The six species named above represent four sub- genera, two of which were recognized by Trouessart in the same paper; one has since been separated by Allen; another is de- scribed below. Inall North American Squirrels having the extra premolar, except the Chickarees or Red Squirrels of the United States and Canada (subgenus Zamdasciurus), it is well devel- oped and permanent. Among the Chickarees it is extremely small, variable in size, shape, and position, and frequently ab- sent. Dr. Allen states, in his recent revision, that it is absent ? Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, pp- 292, Oct., 1880. 24 NELSON in thirty percent of the specimens examined. In the skulls of Tamiasciturus examined by me the percentage of absences is much smaller than that given by Dr. Allen, but the tooth was fre- quently so minute that it could be seen only by the aid of a lens. It is smallest, most variable and most frequently absent in the eastern S. Audsonzcus and its subspecies. In the other groups of North American squirrels, this tooth, when present, is a well- developed peg, reaching nearly or quite as high as the 2d pre- molar, and often functional, the crown wearing down with the adjacent teeth. Skulls from Mexico show conclusively that in the species of that region, at least, the small premolar is a char- acter of the adult. It is not present with the milk premolar in immature skulls, but appears coincidently with the permanent premolar and is equally persistent. Since it is persistent in cer- tain groups and always absent in others, it evidently possesses considerable taxonomic value. The subgenera recognized in the present paper occupy clearly defined geographic areas and, without exception, the ranges of the most closely related groups are separated by a distinct.gap. A curious equality is found in the number of subgenera belonging respectively to Tropical and Temperate North America. Five of the ten subgenera belong essentially to Mexico and Central America, only one having a representative within the United States. The remaining five belong to Tem- perate North America, although four of them have each a single representative in extreme northern Mexico. The distribution of the subgenera may be tabulated roughly as follows: MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA. UNITED STATES. Batoscturus subgen. nov. Tamiascturus Trouess. Evchinosciurus Trouess. Neosciurus Trouess. Are@osciurus subgen. nov. Parasciurus Trouess. Not represented. Otoscturus subgen. nov. Not represented. flesperosciurus subgen. noy. Guerlinguetus Gray. Not represented. Microscturus Allen. Not represented. The extra premolar is present in all of these groups except Areosciurus, Parascturus, and Guerlinguetus. Guerlinguetus SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 25 and Microsciurus are South American groups with numerous species, and occur as intrusive elements in Central America, where each is represented by one or two species. Otosczurus and Hesperosciurus have few species and belong to the western United States, but cross the border into Mexico. The first name available for a subgenus of American Squirrels is Guerlinguetus Gray, 1821, of which Macroxus is a synonym. Macroxus, the name which has been commonly used, has been curiously diverted from its original application to include nearly all American squirrels. Lesson was the first to misuse the name, after which Gray went to even greater extremes, in which he was, to acertain extent, followed by Trouessart in 1897. In 1880 the last named author established several subgenera of American squirrels, several of which were accepted by Merriam and Allen; yet in 1897 he again lumped several of them in the ancient confusion under Wacroxus. The most recently described subgenus is A/tcrosciurus Allen, 1895. LIST OF SUBGENERA WITH TYPE SPECIES. Echinoscturus, type S. hypopyrrhus Wagler (p. 25, 38). Hesperosciurus, type S. griseus Ord (p. 27, 83). Neosciurus,' type S. carolinensis Gmelin (p. 27). Otoscturus, type S. abertd Woodhouse (p. 25, 85). Tamiasciurus, type S. hudsonicus Erxleben (p. 28, 87). Areosciurus, type S. oculatus Peters (p. 29, 88). Parasciurus, type S. niger Linneus (p. 30, 97)- Guerlinguetus, type S. guerlinguetus Gray (p. 30, 98). Batioscturus, type S. deppez Peters (p. 31, 101). Microscturus, type S. alfard Allen (p. 32, 105). Subgenus ECHINOSCIURUS Trouessart (pl. I, fig. 9). Echinoscturus TROUESSART, Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, Oct. 1880, p. 292; Cat. Mamm., Rodentia, pp. 80-81, 1880 (part). Macroxus TROUESSART, Catalogus Mammalium, nov. ed., II, pp. 421—- 429, 1897 (part). Type Sczurus hypopyrrhus WAGLER, from Mexico. 1 Neosciurus is included here in order to complete the revision of the sub- genera of North American squirrels. 26 NELSON Distribution.—All of Central America and Mexico (except extreme northern part). Ranges from Arid and Humid Tropical zones up to Boreal. External characters.—Form and color extremely variable: body usually rather slender; tail long, narrow; pelage coarse, stiff, almost bristly, in typical species. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull short, broad, depressed ; brain case not highly arched but expanded laterally and widening to occiput; interorbital area broad, rostrum short, broad, and heavy; nasals about equal to or shorter than interorbital width. General notes.—S. hypopyrrhus Wagler was named as the type of Echinoscturus, but most of the red bellied Central American squirrels were given that name at the time Trouessart wrote, and he no doubt had in mind some bristly haired species from Central Amer- ica instead of Wagler’s animal. However, Wagler’s hypopyrrhus belongs to the same natural group and must therefore be retained as the type. Most of the large squirrels in tropical North America belong to this group. The skulls are distinguished from those of other large North American species by the combination of two upper premolars with ashort broad rostrum and flattened interorbital region. chino- scturus contains S. aureogaster, S. poliopus, S. yucatanensis, S. colliei, S. truet, S. sinaloensis, S. nelsoni, S. soctialis, S. griseo- flavus, S. goldmani, S. managuensis, S. boothiea, S. adolphet and S. thomast with their subspecies. These species occupy nearly all of the hot coast region of tropical North America and range thence over the mountains of Central America and southern Mexico. Those of the highlands of Guatemala and southern Mexico are distinguishable from those of the hot coasts and the interior of Central America by their much longer and softer pelage. Inthe former series are S. aureogaster, S. poliopus, S. truet, S. stnaloensis and S. griseoflavus, with their subspecies. The species of the hot districts on the coast and south- ward are remarkable for the stiff, harsh and usually shining long hairs of the back—the character upon which the name of the subgenus must have been based. S. yaucatanenszs with white ear tufts, and S. poltopus with a comparatively long, slender rostrum and soft pelage are least typical. S. aureogaster hypopyrrhus, the type, is about midway, in the character of its pelage, between the soft haired species of the highlands and the harsh haired species of Central America. The wide geographic range and large number of species of this group are accompanied by a greater amount of specific variation in the skull than is shown in the smaller groups. In the species of Central Se ee SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 27 America there seems to be a curious correlation between the increased thickness of the rostrum and the increased coarseness of the pelage, the extreme of which is reached in S. fhomasz. HESPEROSCIURUS' subgen. nov. (pl. I, fig. 5). Type Sciurus griseus Ord, from the Dalles of the Columbia. Distribution.—Extreme southwestern Washington, western Ore- gon, and most of California, to northern Lower California, Mexico. Transition zone and border of Upper Sonoran. External characters.—Size very large—total length about 560 mm. ; tail a little shorter than head and body, very broad and bushy. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2; molar series, including small premolar, unusually heavy; skull large and long, with long and deep rostrum; nasals long, expanded anteriorly and much narrowed poste- riorly ; brain case depressed and broadened across parietal region; pos- torbital process of malar strongly developed and usually ending in a point. Skull most like that of Meosctwrus, especially in proportions of rostrum and interorbital area, but decidedly more depressed and broadened posteriorly ; the zygomatic process of squamosal thrown out horizontally, and the zygomatic arch inclined less obliquely upward. General notes.—Hesperosciurus isa small group containing only 5S. griseus Ord and its subspecies z2grzpes Bryant. It is limited to the Transition and upper part of Upper Sonoran zones of the Pacific Coast States and has its nearest relative in the Gray Squirrels (JVeosczurus) of the eastern United States. Like the latter the color is uniform gray above and white below, the group distinctions resting mainly on cranial characters. Subgenus NEOSCIURUS Trouessart. Neoscturus TRoveEssart, Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, Oct. 1880, p. 292; Cat. Mamm., Rodentia, pp. 76-77, 1850 (part) ; MERRIAM, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, VII, p. 27, 1892 (part). Macroxus TROUESSART, Catalogus Mammalium, nov. ed., II, p. 421, 1897 (part). Type Sczurus carolinensis Gmelin, from Carolina. Distribution.—Eastern half of United States, not reaching Mexican border. Lower and Upper Austral and Transition zones. External characters.—Form rather slender; tail bushy; upper- parts gray or grayish brown; underparts white. Externally much like certain species of Ar@oscéurus but with different tooth formula. 1From éo7epoc, western ; + Sczurus. 28 NELSON Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull long and rather narrow ; braincase inflated over interparietal region; rostrum long, compressed laterally ; nasals much longer than interorbital breadth, much narrowed posteriorly and expanded anteriorly; occiput high and narrow; squamosal process of zygomatic arch turning abruptly down, the arch ascending more obliquely from back to front than in Hlesferosczurus. General notes.—This subgenus includes S. carolinensis and its subspecies of the eastern United States. It is an Austral and Tran- sition zone group. JVeosczurus is most closely related to Hespero- scturus, from which it is distinguished by the braincase, which is highly arched over the interparietals and narrowed and rounded pos- teriorly. These two groups balance one another in the eastern and western United States much as do Parasciurus and Arcoscturus. OTOSCIURUS! subgen. nov. (pl. I, fig. 2). Type Sczurus aberti Woodhouse, from San Francisco Mt., Arizona. Distribution.—Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre, from state of Colorado to Durango, Mexico. Transition zone. External characters.—Ears long and broad, with magnificent tufts in winter; tail short and unusually broad; feet very large. Upperparts mainly gray; underparts white, with lateral line more or less distinctly black. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull short and broad; frontal area flattened; braincase depressed, inflated laterally; rostrum com- pressed laterally, rather light; nasals long (equalling interorbital breadth). General notes.—Otoscturus like Tamitascturus has strong ex- ternal characters by which it may be at once recognized. The group contains three species, S. adertz, S. concolor, and S. durang?t, which range through the yellow pine forests of the Transition zone in the southern Rocky Mountains and northern Sierra Madre. Subgenus TAMIASCIURUS Trouessart (Pl. I, fig. 8). Tamiascturus TROUESSART, Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, Oct. 1880, p. 292; Cat. Mamm., Rodentia, pp. 81-82, 1880; MErRr1IAM, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, VII, p. 23, 1897; ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat.*Hist., N. Y., X, pp. 249-298, 1808. Macroxus TROUESSART, Catalogus Mammalium, nov. ed., II, pp. 421- 429, 1897 (part). Type ‘Scturus hudsonius Pall” (= S. hudsonicus Erxl.), from Hudson Bay. 1From ods, oréc, ear; + Scturus. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 29 Distribution.—Most of the wooded parts of the United States and British America; south to northern Lower California, Mexico. Bo- real and Transition zones. External characters.—Size small—under 450 mm.; ears long, well haired, conspicuously tufted in winter; tail short, bushy, flat- tened; lateral line (present in summer) black. Cranzal characters.—Premolars 2 sometimes +} (the first very small and irregular in development) ; skull short, wide and depressed; ros- trum short and stout; nasals shorter than interorbital breadth ; anterior end of zygomatic arch unusually broad and abruptly spreading ; aud- ital bullz proportionately large. General notes.— Tamiascturus was proposed by Trouessart in 1880 and subsequently dropped into synonymy until revived by Dr. Mer- riam in 1892. Curiously enough Trouessart reduced it again to synonymy in 1897, uniting it with most other North American squir- rels under the untenable subgeneric name AZacroxus. In 1898 Dr. Allen again revived the subgenus, which is unquestionably worthy of recognition as a well marked natural group. Zamdasccurus includes all of the Chickarees, S. hudsonicus, S. douglast and S. fremonti with their subspecies. As already stated by Dr. Merriam, this sub- genus is of Boreal origin, but is also common throughout a large part of the Transition zone in the United States. AR-EZOSCIURUS'! subgen. nov. (rl. I, fig. 3). Type Scturus oculatus Peters, from eastern Mexico. Distribution.—Mountains bordering the tableland of Mexico from the volcanoes of Orizaba and Toluca north to central Arizona and west-central New Mexico. Transition zone. External characters.—Size large; body rather slender; tail usually long, sometimes exceeding length of head and body ; upperparts gray or yellowish; underparts white or yellowish. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Skull rather short, depressed ; braincase broadened at parietals; occiput low and broad; front of skull depressed at base of rostrum (more arched in Parascturus) 3 ros- trum light; nasals narrow, slightly tapering posteriorly; upper end of premaxille narrow. General notes. —The subgenus Argoscéurus is characteristic of the Transition zone in the mountains bordering the tableland of Mexico from Mts. Orizaba and Toluca northward. It is intrusive in the United 1From dpaioc, slender; + Sciurus. 30 NELSON States, where it is represented in Arizona and western New Mexico by a single species, S. av¢zonensts. ‘The group is most nearly related to Parasciurus from which the skull characters distinguish it. The fol- lowing species and subspecies belonging to this subgenus: |S. oculatus, S. 0. toluce, S. allent, S. nayaritensis, S. apache, S. arizonensis and S. a. huachuca. Subgenus PARASCIURUS Trouessart (pl. I, fig. 1). Parasciurus TROUESSART, Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, Oct. 1880, p. 292; Cat. Mamm., Rodentia, pp. 77-78, 1880 (part); Mrrriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, VII, p. 27, 1892. Macroxus TROUESSART, Catalogus Mammalium, nov. ed., II, p. 421, 1897 (part). Type Sczurus niger Linn., from Carolina. Distribution.—Eastern half of United States, entering Mexico from western Texas. Upper and Lower Austral (Sonoran) zones. External characters.—Size large; body slender; tail long, rather bushy. Upperparts grizzled blackish or yellowish; underparts black- ish or yellowish. Cranial characters.—Premolars 4. Skull rather long, rostrum long and broad, nasals broad; braincase long, narrow, not inflated over parietals and narrowed at occiput. General notes.—The subgenus Parascturus is limited to the Fox Squirrels, S. zzger and S. dudovictanus with their subspecies. It is distinguished from Ar@osczurus mainly by the long narrow braincase and heavier rostrum. The ranges of the two groups do not touch at any point. Subgenus GUERLINGUETUS Gray (el. I, fig. 7). Guerlinguetus Gray, London Medical Repository, XV, p. 304, April, 1821. Macroxus F. Cuvier, Dents des Mamm., p. 162, 1823. (Type, le guerlinguet); Dict. Class. d’Hist. Nat. X, p. 16, 1826; Lzsson, Nouv. Tabl. Regn. Anim., Mamm., p. 111,1842(part) ; Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d Ser., XX, pp. 271, 419-434, 1867 (part) ; TROUESSART, Le Naturaliste, II, No. 37, 1880, p. 292 (part) ; Cat. Mamm., Rodentia, pp. 78-80, 1880 (part) ; Catalogus Mammalium, nov. ed., II, pp. 421-429, 1897 (part). Type, ‘le guerlinguet—S. guerlinguetus Gray (= Scturus e@s- twans Linn.), from Surinam. Distribution.—Tropical America from Peru and Brazil to Nica- ragua. External characters.—Size rather small—total length between 300 and 450 mm.; ears long, thinly haired; tail shorter than body, rather SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 31 bushy, flattened; color usually some shade of brown on upperparts and buffy or rufous below. Cranial characters.—Premolars 4. Skull rather broad, flattened interorbitally; rostrum broad and deep at base; nasals long, ex- panded at outer end; braincase not very highly arched but expanded laterally over parietal region; audital bulla small; post-palatal notch a little farther behind last molar than in AM/croscturus (about as in Batoscturus); palatal width between molar series great. The skull resembles in size and general appearance that of Lazosczurus, from which it is distinguishable by slender rostrum, proportionately greater interorbital and zygomatic breadth, and by the absence of the small premolar. General notes.— Guerlinguetus, proposed by Gray in 1821, is the first name available for a subgenus of American squirrels. It was subsequently discarded by its author for A/acroxus, proposed two years later by Cuvier in the ‘ Dents des Mammiferes.’ In the ‘ Nom- enclator Zoologicus,’ Agassiz cites AZacroxus from the ‘ Dictionnaire des Sciences Naturelles, X, 1818,’ but a careful search fails to verify the reference. The name does appear in the Dictionnaire Classique d’Histoire Naturelle, Vol. X, 1826, p. 16, which was probably the cita- tion intended by Agassiz. The ‘ Dents des Mammiféres’ was completed in 1825, but on page xvi of the introduction Cuvier states that the work appeared in parts, and that the part containing the rodents was issued in 1823; from which therefore must date A/acroxus. Subse- quent writers have followed Gray in ignoring Gwerlinguetus in favor of Macroxus. The latter name was proposed for the group typified by Scéurus estuans of South America, yet Lesson in 1842, Gray in 1867, and Trouessart in 1880 and 1897, included under it the most diverse squirrels in America. Guerlinguetus should be strictly limited to .S. e@stuans with its numerous subspecies and allies, all of which have brownish backs with brown, fulvous, or rufous bellies and a single upper premolar. It is a characteristic group of northern South America, intrusive in Central America where it is represented by S. a. hoffmanni of Costa Rica and S. richmond? of Nicaragua. BAIOSCIURUS' subgen. nov. (rl. I, fig. 4.) Type Sciurus deppei Peters, from Papantla, Vera Cruz. Distribution.—Northeastern Honduras, Guatemala, Chiapas and eastern Mexico to Tamaulipas. 1From Baréc, small; + Sczurus. Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1899. 32 NELSON External characters. —Size small—total length between 350 and 400 mm.; ears long, thinly haired; tail slightly shorter than body, narrow and flattened. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2, well developed; skull rather long and slender; rostrum broad and deep at base; nasals about equal to interorbital breadth; anterior end of zygomatic arch narrow and tapering gradually to junction with premaxilla; braincase rounded and slightly arched on posterior half of frontals; audital bulle propor- tionately small, smaller than in Guwerlinguetus and much smaller than in Zamdasccurus. General notes.—Batoscturus contains but two species, S. deppez and S. zegligens. In size and general style of color these squirrels are very similar to members of the subgenus Guerlinguetus, but are distinguished by the presence of an extra premolar and other skull characters. Their size, shape of tail, and form of skull distinguish them from Af@crosczurus ; and the slender tail, presence of a well de- developed small premolar, lack of ear tufts, absence of the black lateral line and shape of skull separates them from TZamdasczurus. The group is purely tropical, S. deffez belonging to the Humid and S. xegligens to the Arid Tropical zones. Subgenus MICROSCIURUS Allen (rl. I, fig. 6). Microscturus ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., VII, p. 332, 1895 ; TrRovEssarT, Catalogus Mammalium, nov. ed., II, p. 429, 1897. Type Sciturus alfari Allen, from Jiménez, Costa Rica. Distribution—Northern South America north to Costa Rica, Cen- tral America. External characters—Smallest of American squirrels—total length, in nearly or quite all the species, under 300 mm. Ears short, rounded, well haired; tail much shorter than body, slender and rounded. Cranial characters—Premolars ;. Skull short, broad and highly arched over braincase: rostrum short, broad and deep at base; nasals narrow and shorter than interorbital breadth; upper end of premax- ille very heavy; malar broad and expanded vertically; postpalatal notch only a trifle posterior to last molar. General notes.—Microsciurus is a tropical American subgenus with numerous species distributed over a large part of northern South America and may be considered intrusive in Central America, S. @- fart being the only species known north of Panama. S. puszllus Desm., S. kuhli (Gray), S. peruanus Allen, S. mimulus Thomas, and other South American species belong here. Until Dr. Allen de- ee SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 35 fined this group its members were confused with the species of the subgenus Guerlinguetus Gray (Macroxus Cuvier) which are charac- terized by a single upper premolar. KEY TO SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES. SIZE LARGE, TOTAL LENGTH OVER 450 MM. Premolars + Belly buffy or yellowish Back gray ; Median area on back black; belly usually deep buff oculatus p. 88. Median area on back washed with blackish; belly buthyavelitishtts 0. ver actc en oo sere toluce p. 89. Back yellowish gray Belly rusty yellow; total length over 500 mm. apache p. 94. Belly more dingy yellow; total length under 500 ALVIN 4, erste Meron aetna SNES ae a ee limttis p. 97- Belly white Back golden buffy or yellowish overlaid with grizzling Of blackyandcwhite woh: 2sse.5. se nayarttensts p. 93- Back gray Back uniform gray or grayish brown; ears gray; total length under 500 mm............ allent p. Ql. Back gray washed with yellowish on nape and back of shoulders; ears rusty; total length over SOG MIMI es sesso tesestemeneseeee Seer huachuca p. 96. Premolars 2 Nape patch strongly marked, rump patch present or absent Belly gray, white, or buffy Belly gray, rump patch well marked; back dark (2A SNES os nm omnicct BOSC GODEOACODOCG frumentor p. 44. Belly white or buffy Rump patch poorly defined or absent Back dull whitish; belly white or buffy soctalts p. 62. Back pale gray; belly white or buffy hernandezi p. 48. Rump patch well defined Middle of back gray; feet gray or black- ish; belly; white..2.... colimensts p. 52. Middle of back whitish ; feet whitish, belly wihitevonr bully. ss)-22c- sess cocos p. 65. Belly rufous Feet gray or blackish Ribs and sometimes shoulders rufous Back pale gray; top of head iron gray aureogaster p. 38. 34 NELSON Back dark gray; top of head iron gray or blackish’ (ovens. hypopyrrhus p. 42. Ribs and shoulders not rufous Back dingy whitish; nape patch rusty socialis p. 62. Back bluish gray in middle, remainder sooty brownish. .:2.ccsecs2200 hirtus p. 56. Feet white Back whitish, rump and nape patches very bright... ..c}U.sussenesn we neece meee ccc cocos p. 65. Back gray Nape patch strongly marked, dark rufous effugius p. 54. Nape patch not strongly marked, rusty vellowaishs... 00. eeeeeeceee poliopus p. 46. Nape and rump patches absent or not well defined Nape and rump patches not well defined Back dark gray, sparingly or not at all mixed with yellowish hairs Back and under side of tail dark iron gray; feet gray cervicalis p 51. Back and under side of tail paler gray; feet white nemoralis p. 50. Back pale gray mixed with yellowish hairs; feet white Belly: whites. eeiusccsctewencesteser coe ee eevee hernandezi p. 48. ‘Bellyirud oustes 66 i, Ase i ee en ee ies dee ean stays poliopus p. 46. Nape and rump patches absent Back with broad median band of blackish; rest of body whitish dorsalis p. 74. Back without broad median band of blackish Belly pale gray; back coarsely grizzled gray or yellowish gray yucatanensts p. 70. Belly not pale gray Belly blackish or white Belly blackish; back sooty blackish grizzled with yellow- ISHUP TAWA cess: FG Gemieele nee enne someMaaes ssismentletels nelsoni p. 55. Belly white Ear tufts present, whitish; back gray or yellowish gray yucatanensis p. 70. Ear tufts absent Lars bordered with black Back very dark, lateral line reddish; ear patches TUISEY Suet Oe aseebinac tee ema eon caste boothte@ p. 76. Back grayer, no lateral line; ear patches very large, WEE) sens it aticde nines MeRe Me ance: goldmant p. 82. Lars not bordered with black Back pale gray or yellowish, fizely grizzled with black Back gray Size large; total length about 57o mm.; _ back uniform ; no lateral line............ griseus p. 83. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 35 Size medium, total length about 485 mm.; me- dian dorsal area rufous; lateral line black durangt p. 85. Back yellowish Ears pale rusty ; flanks like back...¢raez p. 61. Ears dull rusty; flanks washed with whitish stnaloensis p. 60. Back yellowish gray, coarsely grizzled with black Ears gray; yellowish of back dull, sometimes VELYuIMGIStINCle aes ani eeraaen cen ances BOD p- 58. Ears rusty ; yori of back brighter, more buffy. nuchalts p. 59. Belly not blackish or white Belly buffy Back with median area blackish or dark brown, rest of bediyet birfby ieee eo oush e see NRO sa eee dorsalis p. 74. Back with median area not blackish Harssplacksed sediysck. esdcsteosee variegatotdes p. 79. ars mot black edged:.:2......c<.s 0. managuensts p. SI. Belly rufous Top of head paler than back All of back blackish brown; feet, legs, lower flanks and belly dull chestnut rufous........ adolphet p. 73. Middle of back blackish or dark yellowish brown or grayish yellow; rest of body rufous dorsalis p. 74. Top of head not paler than back Back heavily washed with black ellivarustys ruLOUS Is. Maelva oc oseceeseeetons beltz p. 78. Belly rich dark ferruginous............ thomas? p. 71. Back not washed with black Back pate gray or sooty blackish Back pale gray Feet dark gray or blackish; rufous of belly sometimes extending up on ribs aureogaster p. 38. Feet pale gray; rufous of belly not extending LP MOM EDS. sce aaedeseeeee. chiapensts p. 69. Back sooty blackish, with thin wash of yellowish ay aCe WaMlOTiNas jeans ene sees anecee nelsont p. 55- Back with area of bluish gray across the mid- et Ns oacl soca erat talete: erala siesrae hirtus p. 56. Back not pale gray or sooty blackish Back yellowish brown sometimes thinly washed WHER LAY le uieain ceo oma sia Nene griseofiavus p. 67. Back blackish, grizzled with gray or yellowish ; underparts and costal area rufous hypopyrrhus p. 42. 36 NELSON S1zE SMALL, TOTAL LENGTH UNDER 450 MM.; PREMOLARS + OR 2 Premolars 1; ears medium long, thinly haired (Subgenus Gzer- linguetus ) Tail washed with bright ferruginous.......... hoffmanni p. 98. Tail washed with yellowish.................. richmond p. 100. Premolars 3 Ears large, tufted (Subgenus Zamdasczurus) Back gray, belly white, lateral line black.mearnsz p. 87. Ears small or medium, not tufted Ears short, rounded, thickly haired; total length under 300 mm. (Subgenus A/zcrosczurus) Tail washed with reddish............... alfart p. 105. Ears medium long, pointed, thinly haired; tail washed with white; total length over 300 mm. (Subgenus Batoscturus ) Backigrayish brown. .:..7-..0-she- 20 negligens p. 104. Back reddish or yellowish brown...... deppe? p. 101. LIST OF SPECIES, TYPE LOCALITIES, AND SPECIMENS EXAMINED. No. of Name. Type Locality. specimens examined. Sciurus aureogaster F. Cuv.Eastern Mexico [Typical at Alta Mira, Tamaulipas ] 98 hypopyrrhus ‘Mexico’ [Typical at Minatitlan, (Wagl.)| Vera Cruz] 18 frumentor Nelson |Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, Mexico 14 poliopus (Fitzinger) ‘Cordillera of Oaxaca’ [Typical on Cerro San Felipe] Oaxaca 16 hernandezi Nelson |Mts. w. of Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico Ly nemoraiis Nelson |Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico 32 cervicalis (Allen) |Sierra Nevada de Colima, Jalisco, Mex. 24 colimensts Nelson |Hacienda Magdalena, Colima, Mexico 10 effugius Nelson Mts. w. of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mex. 8 nelsont Merriam Huitzilac, Morelos, Mexico 18 hirtus Nelson Tochimilco, Puebla, Mexico 7 colliei Richardson San Blas, Tepic, Mexico 24 nuchalis sub sp. nov.|Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico 17 sinaloensis Sp. NOv. Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico 4 truez Sp. NOV. Camoa, Rio Mayo, Sonora, Mexico 4 soctalis Wagner Near Tehuantepec City, Oaxaca, Mex. 54 cocos Nelson Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico 33 griseoflavus (Gray) ‘Guatemala’ [Typical near Duefias] 22 chiapensis subsp. n.|San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico 12 D2 en Se SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA LIST OF SPECIES, TYPE LOCALITIES, AND SPECIMENS EXAMINED. ( Continued. ) No. of Name. Type Locality. specimens examined, yucatanensis Allen Merida, Yucatan, Mexico 5 thomas? sp. nov. Talamanca, Costa Rica 5 adolphez (Lesson) Realejo, Nicaragua I dorsalis (Gray) W. coast Central America [Typical at Liberia, Costa Rica] 20 boothie Gray ‘Honduras’ [Typical at San Pedro Sula] 8 Scturus boothie belti subsp. nov. Escondido River, Nicaragua 8 variegatotdes Ogilby Salvador, Central America I managuensis Nelson Managua River, Guatemala 3 goldmanit Nelson Huehuetan, Chiapas, Mexico Io griseus Ord The Dalles of the Columbia, Oregon 52 durang?t (Thomas) Ciudad Ranch, Durango, Mexico 2 douglast mearust San Pedro Martir Mts., Lower Cali- (Town.) fornia, Mexico 3 oculatus Peters Eastern Mexico [Typical at Las Vigas, Vera Cruz] 46 toluce Nelson Volcano of Toluca, Mexico 15 ailent Nelson Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico 22 ms nayaritensis Allen Valparaiso Mts., Zacatecas 41 apache Allen Near Bavispe River, Chihuahua, Mex. 33 arizonensis huachuca Allen {Huachuca Mts., Arizona 26 ludovicianus limitis (Baird) |Devil’s River, Texas 14 estuans hoffmanni Peters|Costa Rica [Typical near San José] 25 vichmondt Nelson Escondido River, Nicaragua 18 deppei Peters Papantla, Vera Cruz, Mexico 73 negligens Nelson Alta Mira, Tamaulipas, Mexico 23 alfart Allen Jiménez, Costa Rica 3 38 NELSON SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTIONS OF SPECIES.’ Subgenus ECHINOSCIURUS Trouessart. (rl. I, fig. 9.) SCIURUS AUREOGASTER F. Cuvier. Red-bellied Squirrel. Sciurus niger ERXLEBEN, Syst. Regni Anim., pp. 417-418, 1777 (part: the melanistic form—Sczurus mexicanus or Quautechallotlthliltic of Hernan- dez, p. 582. Not S. #zger Linn., 1758.) Sciurus vartegatus DESMAREST, Nouv. Dict. d’ Hist. Nat., x, pp. 103-104, 1817 (part); SAUSSURE, Revue et Mag. de Zool., pp. 4, 5, 1861; ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 660-662, 1878 (part) ; Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 127-128, 1880 (part: specimens from Orizaba, Cordova, Mirador, Santuario and Jalapa, Vera Cruz) ; SUMICHRAST, La Naturaleza, V, p. 324, 1882 (part : specimens from central Vera Cruz) ; THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 74, 1890. (Not S. variegatus ERXLEBEN 1777.) Scturus aureogaster F, CuviER, Hist. Nat. Mammiferes, vi, livr. L1x, pl. with text, 1829; BACHMAN, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 88-89, 1838; I. GEOFFROY, Voyage de la Vénus, Zool., Atlas, pl. 11, 1846; text, pp. 156— 163, 1855 (part : specimens described with rufous lower surface) ; BAIRD, Mamm. N. Am., p. 282, 1857; ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., III, pp. 181-182, 1890 (part: specimens from Tampico) ; Ibid., m1, p. 222, 1891 (part: specimens from Valles, San Luis Potosi, and Tampico, Tamaulipas. Sciurus rafiventer LICHTENSTEIN, Abhandl. K. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, p. 116 (1827), 1830. Sciurus leucogaster F. CUviER, Suppl. d’Hist. Nat. Buffon, I, pp. 300-301, 1831. Sciurus mustelinus AUDUBON and BACHMAN, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., pp. 100-101, 1841 (melanistic) ; Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vl, pt. 2, p. 312, 1842; Quad. N. Am., III, pp. 258-259, pl. CLII, 1851. * Sciurus ferrugintventris AupUBON and BACHMAN, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 1o1, 1841 ; Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., viii, pt. 2, p. 313, 1842 ; Quad. N. Am., I, pp. 292-293, pl. XXXVIII, 1851. Sciurus ferruginetventris SCHINZ, Synopsis Mamm., I, p. 14, 1845. Sciurus aurogastery AUDUBON and BACHMAN, Quad. N. Am., II, p. 344, 1851. Sciurus hypoxanthus (LICHTENSTEIN MS) I. GEOFFROY, Voyage de la Vénus, Zool. (text), pp. 158-159, 1855 (on labels of squirrels from Berlin Museum). Sciurus chrysogaster GIEBEL, Saugethiere, p. 650 footnote, 1855. Macroxus aureogaster GRAY, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, 423, 1867 (var. 2 from Mexico). Sciurus aureigaster ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 750-753, 1877 (part: specimens from Orizaba, Cordova, and Mirador, Vera Cruz); Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 882-883, 1878. Sciurus hypopyrrhus ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., II, pp. 222-223, 1891. (Melanistic specimens from Tampico, Mexico.) Sciurus leucops ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 1x, p. 198, 1897. Type locality.—‘ California’—-really eastern Mexico. Specimens from Alta Mira, Tamaulipas are typical.. Type in Paris Museum? 1All measurements are in millimeters ; specimens measured in the flesh unless otherwise stated. The basal length of the skull is measured from gna- thion to basion, the palatal length from Henselion (posterior alveolus of incisor) to palatal notch. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 39 Distribution.—Arid tropical lowlands and adjacent mountains of southern Tamaulipas, northern Vera Cruz, eastern San Luis Potosi, eastern Queretaro and Puebla, northeastern Hidalgo, and thence south to border of Humid Tropical zone in central Vera Cruz, and northern side of Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca. (Usually below 4ooo ft. alt., but sporadically up to over Sooo ft. in Hidalgo and Queretaro. ) Characters.—Size large; color of back pale grizzled gray with nape patch poorly defined, rusty or yellowish brown; underparts bright ferruginous, this color extending up over fore legs and costal area nearly or quite to top of shoulders. Tail long, flat, and rather slender ; hairs on back rather coarse and glossy. Teats: p. + a.3 i. 4. Color.—Top of nose and fore part of crown iron gray; nape patch often indistinct and varying from dull yellowish brown to dull rusty rufous, generally grizzled with gray or whitish; rest of upperparts in- cluding upper cheeks, sides and top of neck (below and behind nape patch) a median line between shoulders, entire lumbar region, rump and outside of thighs varying from dark iron gray to pale whitish gray ; fore feet and sometimes outside of fore legs iron gray, usually darker than back; hind feet varying from blackish faintly grizzled with gray to iron gray like back; sides of nose, lower cheeks and chin pale grizzled gray ; rest of underparts bright ferruginous, this color usually extend- ing over outside of fore legs and high up over costal area, sometimes even meeting and forming a band across top of shoulders ; base of tail all around like back; rest of tail above black washed with white ; be- low, with a broad median band of ferruginous, bordered by a line of black and edged with white; ring around eye dark buff, with an area of dull yellowish brown extending back nearly or quite to base of ear; ears gray like crown, or rusty reddish like nuchal patch; ear patches (usually absent in summer) dingy gray or whitish. Hairs on back black, with broad white tips, often mixed with others having broad median and sometimes basal yellow rings. The winter pelage differs from that of summer mainly in paler upperparts and distinct whitish ear patches. Vartation.—Sciurus aureogaster presents a wide range of varia- tion. The underparts range from bright ferruginous to dark ru- fous, almost like the color of SS. hypopyrrhus. The back varies from whitish to dark iron gray. The upward extension of ferrugi- nous on the sides varies from a slight wash just back of fore legs to a broad band reaching over costal area and across top of shoulders, covering nearly half of the body. A specimen from Orizaba in the U.S. National Museum has the 40 NELSON rufous reaching up all along the flanks, covering the outside of thighs and back, and confining the gray dorsal area to a median band on lum- bar region and rump; the top of head and nape black, thinly grizzled with gray, and the tail black thinly washed with gray above, and with ferruginous along middle of under side. A specimen from Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro, has the upperparts, including outside of legs, sides of body and upper surface of tail, nearly uniform pale grizzled gray; the underparts dingy rusty. A specimen from Catemaco, Vera Cruz (approching hyfopyrrhus in intensity) has the same pattern as the one last described, but the breast and inguinal region are grizzled with gray. The width of the red median band on the under side of tail varies and is sometimes nearly or quite replaced by the widening of the black border. This is a common phase in individuals grading to- ward hypopyrrhus. Specimens from northern Vera Cruz, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, and Tamaulipas are paler or grayer than those from farther south in central Vera Cruz. On the east slope of the Cofre de Perote near Jico and Jalapa, Vera Cruz, most of the squirrels are intergrades between aureogaster proper and frumentor. They are even richer ferruginous below than true aureogaster, but have the distinct nape and rump patches and tendency to obsolescence of rufous median band on lower side of tail of frumentor. On account of the rufous underparts these specimens are referred to awreogaster rather than to frumentor; they combine the characters of the two forms in about equal proportion but dif- fer slightly from either. Squirrels from Lake Catemaco, Vera Cruz, and about Guichicovi, Serabia, and Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, show intergradation between true azreo- gaster and hypopyrrhus, and it is frequently puzzling to decide on which side of the line to class them. Melanism is common in this species; it is particularly prevalent in some localities and at times entirely replaces the normal phase. A melanistic specimen from Alta Mira, Tamaulipas, has the top of the head and rest of upperparts dark rusty brown, thinly washed with black, darkest over the shoulders; tail black slightly washed with gray ; entire underparts, including nose and sides of head to eyes, fore feet and legs and hind feet black, and a thin collar of grizzled rusty brown across the under side of neck. A specimen from Forlon in the same state is similar but has a very much heavier wash of black on the back. Very young squirrels show the characteristic color markings. Measurements.— Average of 5 adults from Alta Mira: total length 509; tail 260; hind foot 66.6. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 41 Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. The skull (pl. I, fig. 9) of this species is typical of a large group of squirrels in Mexico and Cen- tral America. It is rather short and robust, with heavy rostrum; the braincase is inflated over the interparietal region; the peg-like rst pre- molar is set barely inside and close to the anterior angle of the 2d premolar. Five adult skulls from Alta Mira average: basal length 49.8; palatal length 26.5 ; interorbital breadth 19.1; zygomatic breadth 34.5; length of upper molar series 11.3. General notes.—This strikingly colored species was the first tree squirrel of Mexico and Central America to receive a distinctive scien- tific name, and has figured most prominently in scientific literature. Cuvier published an excellent figure of it with the original description, showing the characteristic bright rufous underparts. The figure repre- sents the less common phase of pelage with but slight extension of ru- fous on the costal area and a poorly defined nuchal patch. By some curious oversight Cuvier, two years later, renamed the species S. lezco- gaster. He gave California as the habitat of this squirrel but men- tioned specimens from eastern Mexico; modern explorations have proved conclusively that it occurs only in eastern Mexico. Later authors have placed it under various names, among which Sczurus vartegatus Erxleben has been frequently used, but as I have recently shown (Science, NS., vu, No. 208, pp. 897-8, Dec. 23, 1898), the latter name belongs toa ground squirrel—the so called Spermo- philus macrourus of Bennett and other authors. The Sczurus ferru- giniventris of Audubon and Bachman is unmistakably the same as Cuvier’s aureogaster, and like it was said to come from California ; and there is little doubt that .S. mastedinus of the same authors was based on a melanistic specimen of the same animal. Scturus aureogaster is separable into three well marked geographic races, of which the one most closely agreeing with Cuvier’s figure and description inhabits northern Vera Cruz and southern Tamaulipas. Hence specimens from Alta Mira in southern Tamaulipas are here de- scribed as typical. Habits.—This squirrel has a wide distribution in the forests of eastern Mexico, ranging from the coastal plains to the slopes of the Cordillera. On the northern side of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, as well as near Orizaba and Jalapa, Vera Cruz, and farther north it commonly ranges up to an altitude of 4000 feet. Still farther north it extends back along the deep river valleys far into the interior of Hidalgo and Queretaro; and on the humid, densely forested slopes of the mountains at Pinal de Amoles, Quere- 42 NELSON taro, and near Encarnacion, Hidalgo, Mr. Goldman took specimens at an altitude of over Sooo feet. The northern part of its range is an arid tropical region where it occurs mainly in heavy woods along streams and canyons. Farther south, on the borders of the humid tropical region, it finds suitable forests more generally distributed ; and on the mountain slopes it is usually found in areas of heavy tree growth. Throughout their range these squirrels do considerable damage to cornfields, and while corn is in the ear it is an easy matter to find them about the edges of fields cleared in the forest. At other times they are dispersed, seeking food wherever wild fruits or nuts may be in season. Their occurrence at an altitude of Sooo feet in Hidalgo and Queretaro is probably due to a migration in search of food, for this is far above their usual range. Specimens examined.—Ninety-eight, from the following localities : Victoria, Forlon and Alta Mira, Tamaulipas; Valles, San Luis Potosi; Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro (8000 feet); Metlaltoyuca, Puebla; Sierra Encarnacion, Hidalgo (Sooo feet); Papantla, Chichicaxtle, Jalapa, Jico, Mirador, Orizaba, Motzorongo, Otatitlan, Tuxtla, and Catemaco, Vera Cruz; Serabia, Guichicovi, and mountains near Santo Domingo, Oaxaca. SCIURUS AUREOGASTER HYPOPYRRHUS (Wagler). Fire-bellied Squirrel. Sciurus hypopyrrhus WAGLER, Oken’s Isis, pp. 510-511, 1831; WAGNER, Schreber'’s Saugth., 11, Suppl. pl. ccx11 c, 1837; Ibid., Suppl., 111, pp. 167-168, 1843 ; SAUSSURE, Revue et Mag. de Zool., p. 5, 1861 ; ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 746-750, 1877 (part) ; ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 662-664, 1878 (part) ; Biol. Cent.-Am. Mammalia, pp. 128-131, 1880 (part : specimens from Coatzacoalcos, Vera Cruz). Scturus hypopyrrhous Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., Xx, p. 424, 1867. Macroxus morio GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, p. 424, 1867. Macroxus maurus Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, p. 425, 1867. Sciurus variegatus SUMICHRAST, La Naturaleza, v, p. 324, 1882 (part: speci- mens from southern Vera Cruz, Mexico). Scturus rufiventris? Rovrrosa, La Naturaleza, vil, p. 360 (1885-86) 1887 (Tabasco, Mexico). Scturus aureogaster ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 1, pp. 181-182, 1890 (part: specimens from Serabia, Oaxaca). Type locality.—‘ Mexico.’ Specimens from Minatitlan, Vera Cruz, are typical. Location of type specimen unknown—but probably in Berlin Museum. Distribution.—Humid tropical forests of southern Vera Cruz, ad tr SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 43 jacent parts of extreme southeastern Oaxaca, Tabasco, eastern Chia- pas, and perhaps extreme northwestern Guatemala (below 4000 feet). Characters.—This form is much darker than true S. awreogaster ; the intense, almost chestnut rufous of underparts usually extends as a broad band over the costal area and top of shoulders; the pelage is thinner, with much stiffer and more shining dorsal hairs, and the tail slenderer with black predominating. Teats: p. 1a. 2i. 1. Color.—Top of nose and fore part of crown dark iron gray; lum- bar region, rump, outside of thighs and base of tail finely grizzled with black, grayish white, and dull rusty or yellowish brown; nape patch indistinct, dull yellowish brown or dingy rufous, often grizzled with black and gray; ears like nape, grizzled gray or reddish brown, sometimes bordered with black; a thin basal patch of dingy grayish white in winter; ring around eyes reddish or dark buffy brown, confluent with area of same color extending back on sides of head below ears; sides of nose, chin, and most of cheeks dingy gray; rest of underparts deep, almost chestnut ferruginous, the same color usually covering all of fore legs and extending up as a broad band over costal area and shoulders; fore and hind feet black, sometimes minutely grizzled with gray; tail above, black thinly washed with white; below, usually with a narrow median line of rich ferruginous, heavily bordered with black and thinly edged with white, the median rufous line frequently absent and replaced by black. Hairs on back (except rufous area) black, with fine tips of white or some- times narrow subterminal rings of yellowish brown. Variation.—Black squirrels of this form are very common at Minatitlan and in Tabasco. A curious specimen from Minatitlan is uniformly black except on sides of nose, cheeks and chin which are dark gray; flanks and hips thinly grizzled with yellowish gray ; upper surface of tail thinly grizzled with gray; underparts, including inside of legs, dark reddish brown. The nuchal patch is sometimes confluent with the rufous area on shoulders, though usually lighter. An immature specimen from the vicinity of Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, is dingy reddish brown above, grizzled with black and gray. The area covered by rufous on sides and across shoulders varies, and the color also varies in intensity. The forelegs are sometimes grizzled iron gray with or without mixture of reddish. Measurements.—Average of 5 adults from Minatitlan: total length, 522.8; tail vertebrae, 266.8; hind foot, 67.3. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull similar to that of typi- cal awreogaster but larger and proportionately narrower, with audital 44 NELSON bulle larger and slightly constricted just in front of middle. Five adult skulls from Minatitlan average: basal length, 52.6; palatal length, 27.1; interorbital breadth 15.4; zygomatic breadth, 34.8; length of upper molar series 11.4. General notes.—Although Wagler merely gave ‘ Mexico’ as the type locality for S. Aypopyrrhus, his description applies so well to the dark colored race of S. aureogaster of southern Vera Cruz that it seems advisable to adopt his name for this form. Specimens from Minatitlan, Vera Cruz, are typical. An adult from Minatitlan (No. 78082 9 ad., U. S. Nat. Mus.) is even darker and more generally ferruginous than the Santo Domingo specimen, and has a blackish area on fore shoulders and blackish rump finely grizzled with dingy yellowish. After comparing this specimen with thetype of Macroxus maurus Gray, Mr. Thomas writes that it is exactly like one of the two co-types. He also states that the British Museum has a specimen from Teapa, Tabasco, similar to the type of Macroxus morio Gray, but a little less melanistic, and that this speci- men is the same as our No. 78082 except for a little dash of melanism across the shoulders, thus proving the identity of sauwrus and morzo. The name hyfopyrrhus Wagler has been used indiscriminately by various authors for the rufous bellied squirrels of Mexico, Central America and even northern South America. FlTabzts.—The Fire-bellied Squirrels live in the humid tropical forest where they range from sea level up to an altitude of about 4000 feet. They levy a heavy toll upon cornfields planted in clearings in the forest, and are also fond of cacao beans, gathering about the planta- tions in large numbers, and are especially destructive in Tabasco and eastern Chiapas. In order to gather a cacao crop the planters are obliged to employ men with guns to patrol the plantations daily, but in some districts, despite such efforts, the squirrels are a serious pest and do great damage. Specimens examined.—EKighteen: from Minatitlan and Catemaco, Vera Cruz; mountains near Santo Domingo and Guichicovi, Oaxaca; Uspanapa River, Tabasco; Tumbala, Chiapas. SCIURUS AUREOGASTER FRUMENTOR Nelson. Perote Squirrel. Sciurus aureogaster frumentor NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xII, pp. 154-155, June 3, 1898. Type locality.—Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, Mexico. Type no. 54259 U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 45 Distribution.—Mixed pine and oak forests of Upper Austral zone on east and north base of the Cofre de Perote and adjacent eastern slope of the Cordillera near Las Vigas, Vera Cruz (alt. 6000-8000 ft.). Characters.—Differs strikingly from typical awreogaster in having well marked nuchal and rump patches of yellowish brown or rufous brown; the underparts gray or gray washed with rufous; tail heavier and more bushy; pelage softer. eats: p. 4a. 31. 4. Color.—Nuchal and rump patches strongly marked, varying from dark yellowish brown to dark rusty red, washed with black, extending forward as a paler area along sides of- head to enclose ears and eyes; rest of upperparts including nose and fore crown, fore feet, outside of legs and sides of body, dark grizzled iron gray, usually with rusty or pale rufous subterminal rings on hairs of back and sides; hind feet varying from black, slightly grizzled with gray, to dark iron gray; chin, throat and cheeks dingy gray; rest of underparts varying from pale gray to gray washed with rusty red; tail at base like back, rest of tail above black thinly washed with white ; below, with a median band varying from pale rusty yellowish to dark ferruginous, bordered with a black band and edged with white; ears usually like nuchal patch but sometimes grayish and sometimes with a black border; basal patch dingy white, present in winter, usually absent in summer. Hairs on back black, with conspicuous white tips often mixed with others hav- ing pale rufous subterminal rings. Variation.—The series of this form and of awreogaster show per- fect intergradation although the two extremes are strikingly different. Some specimens taken below Las Vigas have the ferruginous of the underparts somewhat grizzled with gray and more dingy than in aureogaster. The black on the lower surface of the tail varies from a narrow border to a broad band which reduces the median area to a narrow line. Some specimens show 3 or 4 distinct black and rusty, or reddish, annulations on lower surface of tail, giving a grizzled ap- pearance which does not occur in either awreogaster proper or hyfo- pyrrhus. No melanistic specimens seen. Measurements.—Average of 5 adults from type locality: total length 504.6; tail vertebra 249.2; hind foot 68.8. - Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull indistinguishable from that of typical awreogaster. Four adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 52.5; palatal length 26.1; interorbital breadth 19.7; zygomatic breadth 34.4; length of upper molar series I1.2. General notes.—In several characters this subspecies agrees with the description of S. xégrescens Bennett, but after comparing a speci- 46 NELSON men of frumentor with Bennett’s type, Mr. Thomas writes that they are not the same. Habits.—This form, like true awreogaster, gathers about corn fields to feast upon the ripening ears. At other seasons it feeds mainly upon acorns and pine nuts, moving from one locality to another with the variation in food supply. Specimens examined.—Fourteen: from near Las Vigas and above Jico, Vera Cruz, Mexico. , SCIURUS POLIOPUS (Fitzinger). Oaxaca Squirrel. Sciurus albipes “WAGNER, Abhandl. math.-phys. Cl. K. bayerisch. Akad. Wiss. Miinchen, II, pp. 501-504, 506-507, 1837; Suppl. pl. ccxilI pb, Schreber’s Saugthiere, 1837 (not S. a/ézpes Kerr, 1792). Sciurus varius \VAGNER, Supplement Schreber’s Saugthiere, 111, pp. 168-170, 1843 (see Suppl. pl. ccxt1 D, 1837). Not S. varcus Pallas, 1831. Sciurus variegaius poliopus FITZINGER, Sitzungsber. K. K. Akad. Wiss. Wien. math.-naturw. Cl., Lv, I. Abath., p. 478, March, 1867. (Based on S. varius var. 6 Wagner, l.c. 111, p. 168, 1843.) Sciurus variegatus rufipes FITZINGER, Sitzungsber. K. K. Akad. Wiss., Wien. math.-naturw. Cl., Lv, I. Abth, p. 478, March, 1867, (Based on 5S. varius var. y Wagner, l.c. WI. p. 168, 1843.) Macroxus leucops GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, pp. 427-428, Dec., 1867. Scturus variegatus ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 660-662 ; Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 127-128, 1880 (part: Oaxaca and La Pa- rada, Oaxaca). Sciurus wagnert ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat, Hist., N. Y., x, pp. 453-454, Nov., 1898. Type locality.x—Cerro San Felipe, Oaxaca, Mexico. Type in Berlin Museum. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones on mountains north, east, and south of Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico (alt. 7500-11,000 feet). Characters.—Size large; back grizzled gray; underparts bright ferruginous; feet white. Pelage thick and soft; tail large and bushy. Teats: p. ia. 21. 4. Color.—Top of nose and fore crown iron gray; nape patch rather indistinct, yellowish brown washed with black; rump patch, when present (usually absent), of same color; rest of back and outside of fore and hind legs gray, more or less plentifully intermixed with hairs having yellowish or rusty brown subterminal rings; feet usually pure white; ears gray or mixed gray and brown, with well marked white basal patches: sides of head gray, or grayish white, paler than back; ring around eyes whitish; chin and throat white or grayish white; rest of underparts rich ferruginous red; tail at base all round like SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 47 back; tail above black, washed with white; below, with well defined broad median area varying from grizzled yellowish or rusty brown to clear ferruginous, narrowly bordered with black and edged with white. Hairs of back black with white tips and basal, median or subterminal rings of rufous. Variation.—Most of the series from Cerro San Felipe, Reyes, and Mt. Zempoaltepec agree in having the feet white. When the nape patch is well defined the area between the eye and base of ear is usually yellowish brown. A Zempoaltepec specimen is brighter rufous below, and the reddish buffy rings of the dorsal hairs are brighter and more conspicuous than usual. The three specimens from the vicinity of Ozolotepec, at the southeast end of the Valley of Oaxaca, are in winter pelage and differ from summer specimens from the Cerro San Felipe in having the sides of the head and ring around eye shaded with dark buffy, and the feet grizzled gray. ‘The squirrels from near Ozolotepec live in an isolated group of mountains, though not distant from the range of which the Cerro San Felipe forms a part, and probably represent a local form not sufficiently differentiated to warrant subspecific recognition. A single specimen from Cerro San Felipe, with feet grizzled gray, repre- sents Wagner’s var. 6 (= S. variegatus poliopus Fitzinger) ; and an- other with feet white suffused with rufous represents Wagner’s var. 7 (=. variegatus rufipes Fitzinger) showing that these forms were based upon individual variation. Apparently there is no striking differ- ence between summer and winter pelages. No melanistic specimens seen. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 527.6; tail vertebre 257.6; hind foot 70.2. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. II., fig. 3) more slender and rostrum longer than in typical S. aureogaster. Five adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 52.2; palatal length 27.33; interorbital breadth 18.6; zygomatic breadth 34.5; length of upper molar series 10.7. General notes.—In 1837 Wagner named this squirrel Sczzrzs alézpes, and in 1843 replaced this name by SS. varézs, mentioning two varieties, var. # (‘+ pedibus nigro-cinereis”) and var.y (‘‘ pedibus fer- rugineis”). In March, 1867, Fitzinger named these varieties respec- tively Sctéurus variegatus poliopus and Scturus variegatus rufipes, and in the following December Gray named the species Alacroxus leu- cops. Recently Dr. J. A. Allen has shown that both of Wagner’s Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., April, 1899. (47) 48 NELSON names were preoccupied and, overlooking Fitzinger’s names, renamed the species S. wagver?.' A typical specimen of S. Aoldopus (No. 68183 U.S. Nat. Museum) from Cerro San Felipe, was sent to the British Museum for compari- son with the type of Gray’s M/acroxus leucops, and Mr. Thomas in- forms me that it is exactly like one of the two cotypes (B. M. 58. to. 22.4.) ; the other cotype differs only in being rather less rufous and not so gray. Wagner’s specimens were obtained by Karwinski, a botanical col- lector who did much work on the Cerro San Felipe (a few miles north of the city of Oaxaca) and as the original descriptions apply perfectly to the squirrels of this part of the Cordillera of Oaxaca it is unques- tionably the type locality. Specimens examined.—Sixteen: from Cerro San Felipe, Reyes, Mt. Zempoaltepec, mountains near Ozolotepec, and Pluma, Oaxaca. SCIURUS POLIOPUS HERNANDEZI Nelson. Oak Woods Squirrel. Sciurus albipes quercinus NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, pp. 150 I51, June, 3, 1898 (not S. gwercinus Erxl., 1777). Sciurus wagnerit quercinus ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., x, p. 453, Nov., 1898. Sciurus albipes hernandezi NELSON, Science, NS., vi, p. 783, Dec. 2, 1898. Type locality.—Mountains 15 miles west of City of Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. Type no. 68202, U. S. National Museum, Bio- logical Survey Collection. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones on mountains west of the Valley of Oaxaca and thence to Lower Sonoran zone in southern Puebla and southeastern Guerrero, Mexico. Characters.—Back grayer than in S. folzopus, and intermixed with yellow instead of rufous; underparts white or buffy; median band on lower surface of tailusually grizzled yellowish gray. Pelage thick and soft; tail large and bushy. Teats: p. ia. $1. 4. Color.—Top of nose and fore part of crown grizzled gray washed with blackish; nape usually faintly yellowish, grizzled with black; rump patch rarely present; rest of upperparts, including outside of legs, pale gray mixed with pale yellowish; feet white; ears gray or mixed gray and yellowish brown with well marked white basal patch ; sides of head dingy grayish, sometimes shaded with brown between eye and ear; ring around eye whitish; tail all around at base like 1Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., X., pp. 453-4, Nov. 10, 1898. a pad SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 49 back; tail above black, heavily washed with white; below, with broad median band varying from dingy grizzled yellowish gray to pale rusty, a poorly defined black border and broader edging (and sometimes wash over entire lower surface) white; chin and throat white; rest of underparts usually white, sometimes varying to pale buffy or rusty buff. Hairs on back black with white tips and yellow- ish basal rings, mixed with others having subterminal and basal rings of dull yellowish, and still others with black subterminal, and yellow- ish median rings. Vartation.—The yellowish ringed hairs on the back vary somewhat in number but are not sufficiently numerous to appreciably effect the general color. A faint yellowish indication of the rump patch is some- times present, but always indistinct. No melanistic specimens seen. Specimens from the arid Lower Sonoran and upper edge of the Arid Tropical zones in northwestern Oaxaca, southwestern Puebla, and ad- jacent part of Guerrero are closely related to hernandezz, but are slenderer with backs whiter, nape and rump patches more distinctly yellowish brown; underparts usually buffy but sometimes white, and median area on under side of tail bright rusty ferruginous. The char- acters presented by these squirrels are almost worthy of subspecific recognition, but the material at hand is too limited to satisfactorily de- termine their value. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 539.6; tail vertebre 268.8; hind foot 68.8. Crantal characters.—Premolars 2. Skulls average a little smaller (with longer upper molar series) but are not otherwise distinguishable from those of S. poliofpus. Five from type locality average: basal length 51.5; palatal length 26.5; interorbital breadth 19.5; zygomatic breadth 34.6; length of molar series 11. General notes.—The name first proposed for this squirrel being preoccupied, the subspecies was renamed in honor of Francisco Her- nandez, the author of the Historia Animalium Nove Hispaniz. ffabits.—These squirrels feed upon acorns and pine nuts, and at the time of our visit to the type locality, in September, were found in the huge oak trees growing along certain slopes and ridyes in the pine forest at an altitude of 8000-go000 feet. They were shy, and instead of concealing themselves at our approach, usually made off through the tree tops. Specimens examined.—Twenty-one: from mountains west of Val- ley of Oaxaca, southwestern Puebla and southeastern Guerrero. 50 NELSON SCIURUS POLIOPUS NEMORALIS Nelson. Michoacan Squirrel. Scturus albipes nemoralis NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, p. 151, June 3, 1898. Scturus wagnert nemoralis ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., X, p. 454, Nov., 1898. Type locality.—Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. Type no. $3334, U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones, from the Volcano of Toluca, State of Mexico, to Nahuatzin, Michoacan, Mexico (alt. 7000-12,000 feet). Characters.—Similar to S. hernandezi in having feet and under- parts white, but back, including nape and rump patches, decidedly darker. Pelage full and soft; tail large and bushy. Teats: p. ja. i. 4. Color.—Top of nose and fore crown dark iron gray washed with shining black; nape patch usually varying from dingy yellowish brown to dark rusty, almost chestnut brown, washed and grizzled with black ; rump patch usually paler; rest of upperparts, including outside of legs, iron gray with slight intermixture of rusty; feet usually white; ears dark gray or grizzled gray and yellowish brown, with distinct white basal patches; sides of head whitish gray; ring around eye whitish; sides of head from nape patch to eyes sometimes yellowish brown; underparts usually white, rarely buffy yellow; tail above black, with heavy wash of white; below, with broad median area grizzled gray, yellowish gray or yellowish brown, with poorly defined black border and white edge, the white sometimes extending as a wash over entire lower surface. Hairs of back black, with subterminal and sub-basal rings of dark buffy or yellowish, or with white tips and basal, or sub- terminal, buffy rings. 2 2 Variation.—The nape and rump patches vary from dingy yellowish to dark buffy or dingy chestnut, washed more or less heavily with black; nape usually darker than rump. A melanistic phase occurs at Patzcuaro and becomes more common to the southeast until on the Volcano of Toluca it entirely replaces the gray phase. Only two out of nine melanistic specimens from Toluca are grizzled with dingy yellowish gray, the others being uniformly black. Some of the six melanistic specimens from Patzcuaro are sparsely and others abun- dantly grizzled with gray or dingy fulvous, and the tail is strongly edged with white. In the latter specimens the under surface is usually smoky black, and one has albinistic patches in the axilla and on the SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 53 belly. An immature female from Patzcuaro has the feet gray, but this is rare. Only three of the large series in the gray phase from Patzcuaro have buff underparts. The amount of intermixed rusty on the back varies but is never strong enough to affect the general color. Measurements.—Average of five adult specimens from type locality : total length 537; tail vertebre 272; hind foot 68.8. Cranial characters.x—Premolars 2. Skulls not distinguishable from those of S. pol/éopus. Three adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 51; palatal length 26.8; interorbital breadth 18.6; zygomatic breadth 34.3; length of upper molar series rr. flabits.—These squirrels feed upon acorns and pine seeds accord- ing to the season, and are not so shy as some of their relatives. They were common near Patzcuaro and on the Volcano of Toluca. Specimens examined,—Thirty-two: from Patzcuaro and Nahuatzin, Michoacan, and north slope Volcano of Toluca, Mexico. SCIURUS POLIOPUS CERVICALIS (Allen). Colima Mountain Squirrel. Sciurus leucops ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 753-756, 1877 (part: specimens from Sierra Madre of Colima—not 5S. /eucops Gray, 1867). Sciurus variegatus ALSTON, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mammalia, pp. 127-128, 1880 (part: specimens from ‘‘ Durango, Xantus, U. S. Nat. Mus.’’ ; really from the Sierra Madre of Colima. Not S. vardegatus Erxl., 1777). Scturus aureogaster leucops ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., I, pp. 166-167, Oct., 1889. Scturus cervicalis ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 11, pp. 183- 185, Dec., 1890. Scturus wagnert cervicalis ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus, Nat. Hist., N. Y., x, p. 454, Nov., 1898. Type localéty.—Hacienda San Marcos, Tonila, Jalisco, Mexico (at east base of Sierra Nevada de Colima). Type no. 1991, American Museum of Natural History, New York. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Upper Austral and Boreal zones of the Sierra Nevada de Colima, Jalisco, Mexico, and thence north along high mountains to Ameca, Jalisco, and east into western Michoacan (alt. 6000-12,000 feet; sporadically down to 4000 ft.). Characters.—Readily distinguished from the other forms of S. poliopus by the dark iron gray upperparts, blackish head, dark nape and rump patches, and dark iron gray under surface of tail. Pelage thick and soft; tail large and full. Teats: p. 4a. 21. }. Color.—Top of nose and fore crown shiny black with grizzling of grayish white; nape and rump patches usually distinct, dark fulvous or rusty brown heavily washed and grizzled with black; rest of upper- 52 NELSON parts, including outside of legs, dark iron gray (rarely intermixed with yellowish ringed hairs) ; feet similar but paler; ears dark grayish or yellowish brown with distinct white basal patch; sides of head dingy grayish; ring around eye whitish; area between eye and ear often suffused with brownish; underparts white, sometimes slightly grizzled with black; tail at base like rump; rest of tail, above black heavily washed with white; below, a broad median line of grizzled dark iron gray bordered with black and edged with white, the white often forming a thin wash over under surface. Hairs of back usually black with white tips, but occasionally intermixed with others having a median ring of buffy. Vardation.—Specimens from the type locality show comparatively little variation. The upperparts are sometimes paler or darker than in typical specimens and the wash of black on crown and rump is sometimes heavy enough to obscure the yellow patches. The feet vary from iron gray to whitish gray but are never white. Black al- ways predominates on lower side of tail but the amount of gray varies. Compared with typical specimens those from Ameca are paler on the back and lower surface of tail, and the nape and rump patches are more obsolescent. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 536; tail vertebrae 267.2; hind foot 66.4. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull indistinguishable from that of S. polzopus. Five adult skulls from near type locality aver- age: basal length 51.2; palatal length 27.6; interorbital breadth 19.8; zygomatic breadth 34.9; length of upper molar series 11.7. Habits.—These handsome squirrels have a wide vertical range In April they were found at an altitude of 4000 feet feeding on wild figs in the canyon near Plantinar, at the east base of the Sierra Nevada de Colima. On the north slope of the same mountain they were com- mon and feeding on acorns among scrubby oaks at 6000 feet, and we saw many gnawed pine cones at 12,000 feet. Dr. Buller who col- lected the type took a specimen at the latter altitude on this mountain. Specimens examined.—Twenty-four: from Plantinar, Hacienda San Marcos and elsewhere on slopes of Sierra Nevada de Colima, and at Ameca, State of Jalisco. SCIURUS POLIOPUS COLIMENSIS Nelson. Colima Squirrel. Sciurus leucops ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 753-754, 1877 (part: specimens from Rio Coahuyana, Colima, Mexico). Scturus albipes colimensis NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, p. 152, June 3, 1898. Sciurus wagneri colimensts ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., X, p. 454, Nov., 1898 SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 53 Type locality.— Hacienda Magdalena, Colima, Mexico, Type no. 33432. U.S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distribution.—Arid tropical coast region in State of Colima, western Mexico (below 2000 ft.). Characters.—Pelage thinner and tail more slender than in other subspecies of S. AolZopus; nape and rump patches well marked, rusty or yellowish brown; back gray mixed with considerable rusty; feet dark iron gray or blackish. Teats: p.1a.2i.1 1, Color.—Nape and rump patches distinct, varying from yellowish brown to dark rusty shaded with black; nose and forecrown grizzled iron gray, sometimes suffused with yellowish brown extending forward from nape patch; rest of back rather pale grizzled gray, abundantly intermixed with rusty ringed hairs; outside of legs iron gray; fore feet dark iron gray; hind feet darker iron gray varying to black and thinly grizzled with gray; sides of head dingy grizzled gray, sometimes suf- fused with yellowish brown; ring around eye dingy white or dull buff; ears like nape, with small basal patch of dull whitish or dingy rusty ; underparts white; tail at base like back; rest of tail above black thinly washed with white; below, with broad median area dark grizzled iron gray (sometimes faintly washed with yellowish) bor- dered by black and thinly edged with white. Hairs of back black with white tips and basal, sub-basal or subterminal rings of buffy or rusty. Variation.—The upperparts vary from pale gray to iron gray; the feet are usually darker than the back, but sometimes paler. Animma- toto ture specimen from the type locality is pale gray with the rusty rump patch nearly obsolete. A female taken in February at Armeria has the inside of fore limbs, thighs, and sides of belly washed with buffy, and median area on under side of tail dark grizzled fulvous. The black border on lower surface of tail varies from a narrow line to a band half an inch wide. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 526; tail vertebre 267; hind foot 67.6. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull somewhat smaller but not otherwise separable from that of typical S. polzopus. Five adult skulls from near type locality average: basal length 502; palatal length 26.7; interorbital breadth 19.1 ; zygomatic breadth 33.8; length of molar series 11.2. General notes.—Sciurus p. colimensis is most closely related to S. p. cervical’s, but typical specimens are readily distinguished by paler backs and strongly marked reddish or fulvous nape and rump patches. The feet are darker chan in any of the other subspecies of 54 NELSON poltopus and, with the exception of S. p. effugzus, the nape and rump patches are more strongly contrasted with the rest of the back. Specimens examined.—Ten: from Hacienda Magdalena, Armeria, and Rio Coahuyana, Colima. SCIURUS POLIOPUS EFFUGIUS Nelson. Guerrero Squirrel. Scturus albipes effugius NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xIIl, pp. 152- 153, June 3, 1898. Scturus wagnert effugius ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus, Nat. Hist., N. Y., x, p. 454, Nov. 10, 1898. Type locality.x—High mountains west of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico. ‘Type no. 70288 U.S. National Museum, Biological Sur- vey Collection. Distribution—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones along summit of Cordillera in southwestern Guerrero (alt. 7500- 9500 ft.). Characters.—Back grizzled gray; nape patch conspicuous, dark rufous; ear patches large, white and more conspicuous than in any other form of the species; underparts darker rufous than in polzopus ; median areaon under side of tail deeper, richer rufous. Pelage thick and soft; tail large and bushy. Teats: p. ta. 2i. 1. Color.—Winter pelage: Nape patch rusty rufous, becoming almost rusty chestnut in some specimens; top of nose iron gray intermixed with yellow ringed hairs; rest of dorsal surface finely grizzled iron gray intermixed with rusty ringed hairs; indications of a rump patch similar in color to nape sometimes present but heavily overlaid with grizzling of white and black; extension of nape patch over sides of head, including bases of ears and eyes, slightly paler than main area; ring around eye buffy or whitish; ears reddish brown like crown, but sometimes grizzled with grayish; basal ear patches very large and brilliantly white ; outside of legs gray, usually with less mixture of rusty than on back; feet white, often washed with pale rufous; tail at base like rump; rest of tail above black, heavily washed with white (with rufous under color showing through) ; below, with broad median area nearly pure rich dark rufous, narrow black border, and thin white edge; chin and throat white ; rest of underparts rich dark rufous. Hairs on back black, with short white tips and either basal, sub-basal, or median rings of rufous. Variation.—One topotype has the nape patch extending over shoulders and costal region, rest of back strongly suffused with rusty, and a wash of same color on outside of fore legs and feet; another, SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 55 probably representing a much worn phase of the summer pelage, has very distinct well defined nape and rump patches of rusty brown; top of nose and back, including outside of legs and feet, pale iron gray with very indistinct rusty rings on intermixed hairs; chin and throat white; underparts pale dull rusty washed with dingy white. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 496.8; tail vertebrae 249; hind foot 68. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skulls average a little smaller but are otherwise like those of S. Ao//opus. Four adults skulls from the type locality average: basal length 50.9; palatal length 26.9; in- terorbital breadth 19.1; zygomatic breadth 34.5; length of upper molar series II. ffabits.—In December we found these squirrels feeding on acorns of the large oaks among the pines on top of the Cordillera, but the abundance of gnawed cones scattered on the ground showed that at other seasons pines furnish their chief food supply. They were extraordi- narily shy and cunning, and it was very difficult to secure specimens. Specimens examined.—Eight : all from the type locality. SCIURUS NELSONI Merriam. Nelson’s Squirrel. Sciurus nelsoni Merriam, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, VIII, p. 144, Dec. 1893. Type locality.—Huitzilac, Morelos, Mexico. Type no. 51157 U.S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distributton.—Oak and pine forests of Transition and Boreal zones in mountains on south and west sides of Valley of Mexico, and south side of Valley of Toluca, in the Federal District and States of Mexico and Morelos (alt. 8000-12,000 ft.). Characters.—Body large and heavy; back grizzled, sooty blackish brown; feet black; underparts grizzled blackish, sometimes washed lightly with dingy yellowish brown or rusty rufous. Pelage very thick and soft; under fur long; tail extremely broad and bushy. Teats: p. ta. 21.4, Color.—Upperparts sooty blackish usually washed or grizzled with dull yellowish brown; head usually darker than back and sometimes entirely black, shading gradually into color of back on nape; ears, feet, and sometimes outside of fore legs and lower thighs black; sides of head (when not black) grizzled blackish gray varying to dark yellow- ish brown; lower cheeks and chin grayer; underparts grizzled and varying from dingy blackish brown, thinly washed with dull yellowish, to dark brown washed with dull rusty; tail at base all around like rump, rest of tail above black, washed with grayish white; below 56 NELSON nearly uniform blackish with yellowish gray or brown showing through and thin edging of dingy white, but sometimes with median area very dark grizzled yellowish gray or yellowish brown, washed with black and narrowly edged with dingy white. Hairs on entire back black with narrow subterminal and broader basal or sub-basal rings of smoky buff or brown. Variation.—No melanistic specimens have been seen from the type locality, but two individuals from Tenango del Valle in the Bangs collection are nearly uniform black, having only. a thin grizzling of dingy gray along the sides, and one has a pale wash of reddish brown on breast and belly. Another specimen in the same collection from Tenango differs in having a nuchal patch of dark grizzled reddish brown, contrasting with rest of back; feet pale buffy brown, toes dingy whitish; rest of back normal, but entire underparts dull rufous, becoming darker posteriorly. One specimen from Ajusco also has the underparts similarly colored. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length, 521.6; tail vertebra, 262.6; hind foot, 67.6. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull like that of S. azreo- gaster. Five adult skulls from the type locality measure: basal length 50.7; palatal length 26.7; interorbital breadth 19.4: zygomatic breadth 34.9; length of upper molar series 11.9. General notes.—Sciurus nelsoni is one of the most distinct of the Mexican squirrels and has a very limited distribution. It has a single subspecies which lives on the slopes of Mts. Popocatepetl and Iztac- cihuatl, and serves as a good illustration of the remarkable readiness with which the squirrels of tropical North America vary with climatic conditions. The area inhabited by S. xelson¢ and S. nelsoni hirtus are in the same life zone and not more than 75 miles apart. S. 2elsont is much the darker of the two and its coloration is correlated with the somewhat greater rainfall of the area it inhabits. Specimens examined.—Eighteen: from Huitzilac, Morelos; Salazar and Ajusco, Federal District; and Tenango del Valle, State of Mexico, Mexico. SCIURUS NELSONI HIRTUS Nelson. Mount Popocatepetl Squirrel. Scturus nelsoni hirtus NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, pp. 153- 154, June 3, 1898. Type locality.—Tochimilco, Puebla, Mexico. Type no. 55325 U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA S72 Distribution.—Oak and pine forests of Transition and Boreal zones on Mts. Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl, in States of Mexico, Puebla, and Morelos (alt. Sooo to 12,000 ft.). Characters.—Similar to S. xelson¢ but differs in having a dark iron gray area on middle of back, grizzled gray feet, and dingy fur- ruginous underparts. Pelage thick and soft; under fur long; tail ex- tremely broad and bushy. Teats: pda. 2i. 1. Color.—Crown, nape, and rump dingy grizzled yellowish or gray- ish brown; top of nose, middle of back (often reaching down on out- side of legs) finely grizzled bluish gray; feet gray, toes paler; ears similar to crown, with conspicuous white basal patches; chin and lower cheeks dull gray; underparts dingy ferruginous; tail above, black heavily washed with white; below, median area grizzled yellow- ish or rusty brown, with black border and thin white edge. Hairs on gray area of back black, with short white tips, scantily mixed with similar hairs having narrow median or subterminal rings of dull buffy. Variation.—The gray area is sometimes an enclosed spot on mid- dle of back and sometimes covers most of the upper surface; the gen- eral color is lighter and less sooty than in zelsonz, and the wash on tail is white. The ferruginous of underparts varies from light rusty to dark dull rufous. One specimen from Tochimilco has black ears and feet and a small patch of gray on middle of back, but can be recog- nized at once by the other characters. Two winter specimens from Mt. Popocatepetl can be distinguished from summer specimens from Tochimilco by the general grayness of the upperparts. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 514.2; tail vertebra 256.8; hind foot 68. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull like that of S. awreogas- ter. Five adult skulls from type locality average: basal length 50.2; palatal length 26.5; interorbital breadth 19.4; zygomatic breadth 35.1; length of upper molar series 11.8. General notes.—This subspecies seems to be peculiar to the Vol- cano of Popocatepetl, and probably Iztaccihuatl immediately adjacent. One specimen came from near timberline on the north slope of Popo- catepetl, the others from Tochimilco on the southeast slope, and Tetela del Volcan on the south slope. Specimens examined.—Seven: from Tochimilco, Puebla; Mt. Po- pocatepetl, Mexico; and Tetela del Volcan, Morelos. 58 NELSON SCIURUS COLLLEI Richardson. Collie’s Squirrel. Scturus colliet BACHMAN, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 95, 1838 (nomen nudum) ; RICHARDSON, Voy. of H. M. S. Blossom, Zool., pp. 8-9, pl. I, 1839; BACHMAN, Charlesworth’s Mag. Nat. Hist., 111, p. 334, July, 1839; Aub. & Bacu., Quad. N. Am., Ill, pp. 21-23, pl. civ, 1851; ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 738-740, 1877 (part: specimens from San Blas, Mexico). Macroxus colliet Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, pp. 421-422, 1867 (part : var. 3, Mexico). Scturus hypopyrrhus ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 662-664 (part) ; ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 881-882, 1878 (part). Type locality—San Blas, Tepic, Mexico. Type in British Museum. Distribution.—Arid tropical lowlands and lower slopes of adjacent mountains from northern border af Tepic south to Bay of Banderas (below 2500 feet). Characters.—Body large and slender; upperparts dull yellowish gray or dark grayish; legs and feet grayer; underparts white. Pelage rather thin; hairon back harsh; under fur long and thin; tail long and rather full. Teats: p. ta. 21.1. Color.—Top of nose iron gray; rest of upperparts and base of tail all around nearly uniform dull yellowish gray or brownish gray shaded with black, darkest on crown; lower border of flanks and sides of shoulders rather grayer than back; outside of legs distinctly grayer than back; feet usually paler or more whitish than legs; side of head dull grayish; ring around eye paler or more whitish; ears usually somewhat yellower or browner than crown, with basal patch of dingy whitish or yellowish white; underparts white, sometimes pure and sometimes darkened by the plumbeous under fur showing through; tail above black, washed with white; below, with broad median area dark grizzled black and yellowish gray, or black, dull gray and yel- lowish brown, with narrow indistinct border of black, edged with white. Hairs of back black, with rather narrow subterminal or me- dian ring varying from pale buffy to brownish gray. Varzation.—The variation in the San Blas series is small and confined mainly to the inteusity of the yellowish or buffy of the back; some specimens have the feet and toes whiter than others and are grayer on the flanks. Some spring and summer specimens have a curious scorched, rusty brown color on the back, as if burned by the sun. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 506.4; tail vertebra 264.6; hind foot 65. -—>_ atte (th 4 SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 59 Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull similar to that of 5S. aureogaster, but averaging smaller; jugal slenderer ; upper molar series a little narrower and lighter. Four adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 49; palatal length 25.6; interorbital breadth 18.4; zygomatic breadth 32.6; length of upper molar series 11. General notes.—Specimens from Ixtapa and Las Palmas near the Bay of Banderas are intermediate between the San Blas Squirrel and S. c. nuchalis. Specimens from Acaponeta near the northern border of Tepic are yellower than those from San Blas, thus inclining toward the yellow backed \S. s¢aloensts of Mazatlan. The latter may prove a subspecies of co//ie¢ notwithstanding its striking difference in gen- eral appearance. This species was named in honor of Dr. C. Collie, Surgeon of H.M.S. ‘ Blossom,’ who collected the type during the ship’s visit to San Blas in the winter of 1825. Sfectmens examined.—Twenty-four: from San Blas, Santiago, and Acaponeta, Tepic. SCIURUS COLLLI NUCHALIS subsp. nov. Manzanillo Squirrel. Type from Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Type no. 32837 ¢@ ad., U. S. Nat. Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Collected Feb. 2, 1892, by E. W. Nelson. Distribution.—Arid tropical lowlands from the border of Michoa- can north along the coast to the Bay of Banderas, Jalisco, and inland to the more heavily wooded mountains near San Sebastian, Jalisco (below 3000 feet). Characters.—Differs from true col/ie/ in its rusty rufous ears, buffy yellow suffusion on nape and shoulders and heavy wash of black on lumbar area and rump. Pelage rather thin; hairs of back coarse, stiff and shining: Teats: p. 4a. 3 i. 4. Description of type.—Winter. pelage: Upperparts, including crown and base of tail, buffy yellowish or yellowish gray, grizzled with black on crown and nape and heavily washed over lumbar re- gion and rump with shining black; the yellow more rusty on nape and more buffy posteriorly; flanks paler than back; ears rusty rufous, with small basal patches of rusty or rusty whitish; sides of nose and cheeks dingy yellowish brown; ring around eye paler yellowish; feet and outside of legs iron gray, with wash of gray on fore shoulders ; underparts white, tail, above black rather thinly washed with white ; 60 NELSON below at base, grizzled brownish gray, rest of lower surface with a broad median band of grizzled rusty yellowish, broadly bordered with black and narrowly edged with white. Hair on back black with broad median ring of rusty or buffy yellowish. Variation.—Two of the Manzanillo specimens resemble the type and are very different from typical col/zez. Three others are grayer than the type, or less strongly shaded with yellowish on back, but may be distinguished from colléez by the rusty ears, more yellowish suf- fusion on nuchal area, and heavier wash of black on rump. On three of the specimens the median line on lower side of tail is grizzled yel- lowish rusty; on two others it is grizzled gray with a yellowish suf- fusion. Specimens from Ixtapa, Las Palmas, Mascota, and San Sebastian are intermediate but are more like zwchadzs than like true colliez. Compared with typical colléez all of the twelve specimens from these localities have the ears more yellowish or rusty; the nucha] area yellower than rest of back; the crown, lumbar region and rump more heavily washed with black; the median line on lower surface of tail grizzled rusty rufous on two specimens, and suffused with a paler shade of same ona number of others; pelage coarser and harsher, with grizzling on back consequently coarser. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 530; tail vertebra 274.8; hind foot 68.4. Cranial characters.—Premolars ?. Skull similar to that of typical collie¢ but larger, with proportionately larger audital bulla and rather broader, heavier jugals. Five adult skulls from the type locality aver- age: basal length 52.3; palatal length 27.6; interorbital breadth 206; zygomatic breadth 35.9; length of upper molar series II. 4. General notes.—This form is characterized mainly by the increased rustiness on the head, body, and under side of tail. There is a pro- gressive increase in the amount of this color southward from San Blas to Manzanillo. Specimens examined.—Seventeen: 5 from Manzanillo, Colima; 12 (all intermediate) from San Sebastian, Mascota, Las Palmas and Ixtapa, Jalisco. SCIURUS SINALOENSIS sp. nov. Sinaloa Squirrel. Type from Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico, no. 13753, ¢ ad., Ameri- can Museum of Natural History, N. Y. Collected Jan. 27, 1897, by P. O. Simons. Distribution.—Arid tropical parts of southern and central Sinaloa (below 2500 feet). SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 61 Characters.—Crown, nape, and middle of back pale rusty yellow- ish; flanks, legs, and feet whitish. Tail long, bushy; ears thinly haired; pelage rather full and soft; under furlong. Teats: p.1a. 2 i. 4. Color.—Winter pelage: Top of nose gray, shading on fore crown into grizzled yellowish gray, rest of crown, nape, middle of shoulders and rump pale rusty yellow slightly grizzled with black; sides of neck, shoulders, costal area, lower flanks, legs and feet grayish white, palest on feet; sides of nose and ring around eye dingy gray; cheeks pale yellowish brown; ears dull rusty yellow with small basal patch of same; underparts white; tail above brownish yellow, lightly grizzled with black and heavily washed with white; below, a broad median area brownish yellow (thinly grizzled with black and lightly washed with white) narrowly bordered with black and edged with white. Hairs on back black with sub-basal and subterminal rings of rusty. Variation.—Specimens of this squirrel from extreme southern Sinaloa are a little darker than the type. Measurements of type.—Total length 524; tail vertebre 255; hind foot 62. Cranial ¢haracters.—Premolars 2. Skull larger and more mas- sive than in true cod/¢ez; rostrum decidedly heavier than in co//¢/ez or truez, and heavier even than in azreogaster; nasals broader and more expanded anteriorly. The skull of the type measures: basal length 53; palatal length 26.3; interorbital breadth 20; zygomatic breadth 34; length of upper molar series 11. General notes.—This fine species belongs to the group of which S. colliet, S. c. nuchal’s,and S. truwez are the other members. It is the most divergent of all and its rusty yellow back and hoary white sides and tail render it easily recognizable. Specimens from near Rosario, in extreme southern Sinaloa, are darker than those from Mazatlan, and it is possible, notwithstanding its wide difference, that sinaloensts may eventually prove to be a subspecies of co//zez. Spectmens examined.—Four: from Mazatlan, Tatamales, and Plomosas, Sinaloa. SCIURUS TRUEI sp. nov. Sonora Squirrel. Type from Camoa, Rio Mayo, Sonora, Mexico. No. 96229 ¢ ad. U. S. Nat. Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Collected Jan- uary 20, 1899, by E. A. Goldman. Distribution.—Scrubby forests of Arid Lower Sonoran zone in southwestern Sonora and northern Sinaloa, Mexico. 62 NELSON Characters.—Upperparts of head and body dark yellowish; outside of legs and feet dark gray, in strong contrast to back; ears behind, rusty ; underparts white; tail slender; ears thickly haired and sparsely tufted; pelage thick and soft; under fur long. Teats: p. } a. $1. 4. ‘Color.—Winter pelage: Top of nose gray, rest of upperparts, in- cluding sides of neck and flanks, nearly uniform dark yellowish, griz- zled with black; outside of legs and feet dark gray, slightly paler on toes; ring around eye whitish; sides of head dingy yellowish gray; ears bordered anteriorly with grayish; behind, including small basal patch, rusty; underparts white; tail at base like back but washed with grayish white below; rest of tail above, grizzled black and dark yel- lowish, thinly washed with white; below, mainly dark yellowish, grizzled with black, an indistinct narrow black border and thin white edge. Hairs on back black, with sub-basal and subterminal rings of dark yellowish. Variation.—-The principal variation in the specimens examined is a difference of intensity in the rusty of the ears. Measurements.—Average of four adults from type locality: total length 487.5; tail vertebrae 247.5; hind foot 66.7. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull markedly different from that of typical col/7ez. It is proportionately broader with brain case more flattened, interorbital area broader; rostrum shorter and heavier ; nasals shorter and much more deeply emarginate posteriorly; jugal much broader (exceptionally broad) and expanded vertically; audital bullz larger and scarcely depressed on inner anterior border. Four adult skulls from type locality average: basal length 47.7; palatal length 24.3; interorbital breadth 18.3; zygomatic breadth 33.2; length of upper molar series I1. General notes.— Scturus truez is most nearly related to S. collie from which it may be distinguished by its uniformly dark yellowish back, slenderer tail, and marked skull characters. Mr. Goldman found it inhabiting the fringe of trees along the Rio Mayo and adja- cent foothills, and heard of it in the foothills near Alamos, Sonora, close to the border of Sinaloa, so there is no doubt of its occurrence also in the northern part of this State. It is named in honor of Mr. F. W. True, Executive Curator, U. S. National Museum. Specimens examined.—Four : all from type locality. SCIURUS SOCIALIS Wagner. Tehuantepec Squirrel. Sciurus socialis WAGNER, Abhandl. math.-phys. Cl. K. bayerisch. Akad. Wiss. Miinchen, 1, pp. 501, 504-507, pl. v, 1837 ; Supplement Schreber’s Saugthiere, 111, pp. 170-171, 1843; Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d S€r: eX pn 4 Zon koo7. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 63 Sciurus variegatus ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 660-662 (part); Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 127-128, 1880 (part: specimens from Tehuantepec); SUMICHRAST, La Naturaleza, v, p. 324, 1882 (part : specimens from southern part of Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Chiapas —not S. variegatus Erxl., 1777). Sciurus aureigastery ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 750-753, 1877 (part : specimens from Tehuantepec and Santa Efigenia, Oaxaca). Sciurus leucops ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 753-756 (part: speci- mens from Tehuantepec). Type locality.—Vicinity of Tehuantepec City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Type in Berlin Museum. Distribution.—Arid tropical lowland forests along the Pacific coast from Puerto Angel, Oaxaca, south to Tonala and Tuxtla, Chiapas, Mexico, and up the river valley to Nenton, Guatemala (below 3000 feet). Characters.—Nape patch usually well defined, rusty rufous; back dingy whitish gray overlying yellowish or rusty; underparts varying from white or buffy to bright ferruginous. Pelage thin, hairs of back coarse and stiff; under fur short; tail long and narrow. Teats: p-ta.2i.4. Color.—Nose and fore part of crown grizzled iron gray ; nape patch rusty rufous slightly washed with black; rest of upperparts whitish, rather coarsely grizzled with black, and shaded with underlying yel- lowish or rusty rufous; rump patch usually obsolete but sometimes more distinctly rusty rufous than surrounding area; feet like back; ears grizzled gray and rufous, with basal patch white ; extension of nape patch around bases of ears, and over cheeks, including eyes, paler and more yellowish brown than main area ; ring around eye dingy fulvous ; sides of nose and cheeks below eyes dingy grayish white; underparts varying from pure white to pale buffy and bright rufous. Tail all around at base like rump; rest of tail, above black heavily washed with white; below, median area varying from pale fulvous gray (in worn fur) to rich orange—or dark rufous (in good fur), bordered by narrow band of black and edged with white. Hairs on back black, narrowly tipped with white and mixed with others having broad sub- terminal rings of rusty rufous; or in some specimens with white tips and broader sub-basal rufous rings Vartation.—Sciurus soctalis is a variable species, characterized by general hoariness of back with pale rusty under color showing through, and rusty nuchal patch. The color of upperparts varies according to the proportionate amount of grayish white and yellowish rufous; sometimes the back is hoary whitish and sometimes the white is re- stricted and the underlying reddish or rusty becomes prominent. In Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1899. 64 NELSON some specimens the nape patch is only slightly marked or entirely re- placed by the general whitish color; it is absent in a few specimens from near Tehuantepec, and becomes more and more obsolete to the south. Ourlarge series, representing both summerand winter specimens, shows great variation in color of underparts. Midsummer specimens with few exceptions vary from pale to deep reddish buff; the under side of tail along median line is usually paler (buffy gray, or yellow- ish rufous), and the ear patches are absent or very small. Specimens taken in winter, and up to close of dry season in May or June (with half a dozen exceptions), are rich rufous below. A young female from Huilotepec (May 8) is dingy gray below with the buff restricted to axillary and inguinal regions, the middle of the back rather darker and more rusty and the sides grayer, in greater con- trast with the back than usual. An adult female from Tonala in summer pelage differs from all the others in having the entire back strongly suffused with light rusty red, thinly grizzled with grayish white; underparts dingy yellowish white faintly and minutely grizzled with black; lower surface of tail grizzled dull orange buffy and black, edged with white. Specimens on which rufous ringed hairs predominate on the back are suffused with rufous. In the series from Puerto Angel north of Tehuantepec City the back is much paler or more grayish white, the nuchal patches darker, and underparts deeper rufous than in typical soczad¢s, but in one case the back is uniform grayish white with no sign of a nuchal patch. In the series from the vicinity of Tonala south of Tehuantepec the nuchal patch is less strongly marked and usually absent; the subterminal ru- fous on the back is much more conspicuous, often showing through as a strong yellowish rusty suffusion grizzled with white and black; and the underparts vary from pale buffy whitish to dull ferruginous. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 524.4; tail vertebra 271.4; hind foot 66.6. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull very similar to that of S. aureogaster. Five adult specimens from the type locality aver- age: basal length 51.8; palatal length 26.9; interorbital breadth 18.1 ; zygomatic breadth 33.9; length of upper molar series 11.3. General notes.—This species was described from an immature specimen taken by the botanical collector Karwinski, who reported that it frequented the forest on the southern coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in droves. The idea of its gregarious habits, suggesting Wagner’s name, must have come from seeing it during the mating season, when a number are often found together, as in the case of other SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 65 squirrels. It frequents low scrubby forests and raids cornfields when the ears are maturing. Specimens examined.—F ifty-four: from Huilotepec (near Tehuan- tepec City), Tequisistlan, Colotepec, Puerto Angel, Santa Efigenia, Oaxaca; Calera, Tonala, Tuxtla, Chiapas; Nenton, Guatemala. SCIURUS SOCIALIS COCOS Nelson. Acapulco Squirrel. Scturus aureogaster 1, GEOFFROY, Voy. de la Vénus, Zoology, Atlas, pl. tro, 1846; text, pp. 156-163, 1855 (specimen with white under surface figured in-pl. 10 of Atlas). Not S aureogaster F. Cuvier, 1829. Scturus soctalis cocos NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, pp. 155-156, June 3, 1898. Type locality.—Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. Type no. 70644 U.S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distribution.—Arid tropical lowlands of the Pacific coast from Acapulco, Guerrero, south to Jamiltepec, Oaxaca (below 1500 ft.). Characters.—Nape and rump patches distinct, dark rufous brown; back and feet grayish white; underparts white, buffy, or ferruginous. Pelage thin; hairs on back coarse and stiff; under fur thin and short. Tail long, narrow, and heavily washed with white. Teats 1a. 2i.1. Color.—Nape and rump patches varying from rusty rufous to deep chestnut rufous lightly washed with black; anterior extension of nape patch along sides of head enclosing bases of ears and eyes, usually rather paler or yellower; ears like nape; top of nose and fore crown pale iron gray; rest of upperparts, including outside of legs and feet, grayish white—latter sometimes creamy white; underparts varying from pure white to pale creamy buff, rufous buffy or rich dark fer- ruginous; tail above black, heavily washed with white, with rufous basal color sometimes showing through; tail below, with median area varying from rufous buffy to rich dark ferruginous, bordered with black and edged with white, the white extending also over all of under sur- face as an overlying wash. Hairs of back black, with long white tips, usually intermixed with others having broad rusty sub-basal rings. Variation.—In the series of 33 specimens, all but seven fall within the limits of variation already given. The exceptions are described below. An adult female from Acapulco (Jan. 10) has the usual dark rufous nape and rump patches, the former extending over ears and down to eyes; top of nose and front part of crown clear iron gray; rest of upperparts, including feet and legs white, with a reddish suffusion along back; underparts pale creamy buff; tail above black heavily washed with white; underside of tail obscurely black and rufous heav- 66 NELSON ily overlaid with white. A male taken at same place (Jan. 19) is similar but the white on upper surface is duller and the underparts rich buff. Another male taken at Acapulco (Jan. 10) has the nape patch even richer or darker rufous than usual; top of nose and fore part of crown clear iron gray; rest of upperparts dingy rusty red, grizzled with grayish white; feet and outside of thighs whiter; underparts bright ferruginous, palest on throat and breast; tail as usual heavily washed with white. Two males from Acapulco (Jan. 11) are in a curious melanistic condition: One has the nose and fore part of crown black, sparsely grizzled with white, the nape and rump patches very rich dark rufous washed with black, and the intermediate area along the back black, finely grizzled with dark rusty; sides of head, neck and body black, overlaid with fine grizzling of dark fulvous and dingy rufous; feet glossy black; tail black, thinly washed with white above and below, with dark rusty rings near bases of hairs; underparts smoky black washed with fulvous brown and dull rusty. The other melanistic specimen has the top of head as in the last ; the nape and rump patches black, the rest of upper parts dull rusty brown grizzled with black and more sparsely with white; chin dark gray; throat grizzled rufous; rest of underparts dark reddish brown becoming darker posteriorly ; tail above black heavily overlaid with white; below black, heavily bordered with white. A female taken at Llano Grande, Oaxaca (Feb. 18) has the nose and fore part of crown black, grizzled with gray; nape and rump patches dingy rusty, heavily washed with black; rest of back grizzled reddish brown and black, shading into dark yellowish brown on sides; feet grizzled black and grayish brown; toes black; underparts dark dingy buff; tail above black, washed with white; below, median band buffy yellow with broad border of black, edged with white. Measurements.—Average of 5 adults from type locality: total length 518.2; tail vertebrae 268; hind foot 66. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull very similar to that of SS. socialis but somewhat shorter; broader interorbitally ; upper molar series slightly shorter. Five adult skulls from the type locality aver- age: basal length 50.8; palatal length 26.5; interorbital breadth 19.3 ; zygomatic breadth 33.7; length of upper molar series 10.6. General notes.—In the Zoology of the Voyage of the Venus, under the name |S. aureogaster, is a good figure of a white bellied specimen of this species, which probably came from Acapulco. On SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 67 the way south from that port we took the last typical specimen of S. s. cocos at Jamiltepec, Oaxaca; the series taken beyond, at Puerto Angel, is intermediate between true soc¢alzs and cocos. We found these squirrels frequenting cocoanut groves near Acapulco and feeding upon the nuts. It is the only squirrel we saw doing this although cocoanut trees are common in the ranges of various other species. The name of the subspecies was suggested by this peculiar habit. Specimens examined.—Thirty-three: from Acapulco, Aguacatillo, San Marcos, and Ometepec, Guerrero; Pinotepa, Llano Grande and Jamiltepec, Oaxaca. SCIURUS GRISEOFLAVUS (Gray) Guatemala Squirrel. Sciurus ludovicianus ToMEs, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 281, 1861 (from Duefias, Guatemala. Not S. Zudovictanus Custis, 1806). Macroxus griseotavus GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, p. 427, 1867. Scturus auretgaster ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 750-753, 1877 (part : No. 1156 from Guatemala). Scturus griseoflavus ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 660, 1878 ; Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 126-127, 1880; ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Sur- vey Terr., IV, pp. 880-881, 1878. Sciurus affints (REINHARDT, MS. in) Aston, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 660, 1878 (nomen nudum). Type locality.—-‘ Guatemala.’ (Specimens from near Duefias are typical). Distribution.—Oak and pine forests of the Transition and Boreal zones in central and northwestern Guatemala and adjacent high mountains in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico. Characters.—Size large and heavy. Color of upper parts grizzled yellowish brown, thinly washed with gray (especially in winter) ; belly fulvous brown or rusty rufous. Pelage full and soft; under fur long; tail broad and flat. Teats: p. 1a. 2i. 14. Color.—Upperparts, including crown and base of tail, grizzled yellowish brown, sometimes thinly washed with grayish white; out- side of legs like flanks; feet usually grayer, but sometimes grizzled yellow and brown, and sometimes dark yellowish brown; top of nose, sides of head, and ears, grayer than crown; an indistinct dingy grayish ear patch sometimes present; chin and throat pale grayish fulvous; rest of underparts varying from dark dull rufous to dingy grayish washed with reddish fulvous; tail above black washed with white, with underlying yellowish brown showing through; below, with broad median area grizzled yellowish or rufous brown, bordered 68 NELSON by a narrow black line, and thinly edged with white. Some hairs on back entirely black, others black with white tip and either a sub- basal ring or basal and median rings of brownish yellow. Vartation.—The gray wash on the back varies greatly, sometimes being entirely absent, especially in specimens from the humid forests fronting the Pacific Ocean; in others it is general over the dorsal sur- face, and in others still is confined to a band across the back, leaving poorly marked rusty or yellowish brown nuchal and rump patches of varying size. In one specimen the nape patch is chestnut brown, the middle of back washed with light gray and the rump yellowish brown. In winter, the white wash on the back is most conspicuous, and the underparts are duller and less strongly ferruginous. (‘They may be dark ferruginous, or dark grizzled grayish washed with fulvous, or pale fer- ruginous). The absence of white tips produces the yellowish brown nape and rump areas, or wholly yellowish brown backs of specimens from the humid forest fronting the Pacific. Such specimens have many hairs with subterminal rings of rusty yellow. Measurements.—Average of two adults from central Guatemala, from dried skins: total length 547.5; tail vertebra 270; hind foot 68. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull a little longer than that of S. aureogaster but otherwise very similar. Four adult skulls from southwestern Guatemala average: basal length 51.8; palatal length 27.23; interorbital breadth 19; zygomatic breadth 34.4; length of upper molar series 11.4. General notes.—A specimen from central Guatemala (No. 61226 U. S. Nat. Museum) sent to London for comparison with Gray’s type, was pronounced by Mr. Thomas to closely resemble the two cotypes on the dorsal surface but is richer rufous below with less white on the tail. These differences fall within the minor individual varia- tions. Gray gave ‘Guatemala’ as the type locality for this species, and specimens from near Duefias are typical. Specimens from the dense humid forests near Guatemala City and thence along the slopes of the mountains fronting the Pacific to Pinabete, Chiapas, are darker or browner than those from the higher mountains of the interior. Those from Calel are a little paler than typical specimens, and those from the forest at the Hacienda Chancol are still grayer or nearer the form from the mountains of central Chiapas. Hlabits.—We found these squirrels rather common in the dense oak forests at about 7000 feet above sea level on the volcano of Santa Maria, near Quezaltenango, but owing to the tangled undergrowth and SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 69 the abundance of parasitic plants on the trees it was difficult to secure specimens. Near Calel, and at Hacienda Chancol, they were less common among other species of oaks in the more open forest at an altitude of gooo to 10,000 feet, but were very shy, and it required cau- tious and long continued hunting to secure a few specimens. Specimens examined.—Twenty-two: from vicinity of Guatemala City, Volcano Santa Maria, Calel, Hacienda Chancol, Guatemala; and Pinabete, Chiapas. SCIURUS GRISEOFLAVUS CHIAPENSIS subsp. nov. Chiapas Squirrel. Type from San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico. No. 75957, ¢ ad., U. S. Nat. Mus., Biological Survey Collection. Collected Sept. 22, 1895, by E. W. Nelson and E. A. Go!dman. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones in mountains of central Chiapas (alt. 7500-9500 feet). Characters.—Similar to true S. gréseoflavus but differing in the decidedly grayer upperparts; paler, often nearly white, feet, and usu- ally more vivid ferruginous underparts. Pelage full and rather soft; under fur long and dense; tail broad and full. Teats: p. | a. toe. Color.—Winter pelage: Upperparts, including outside of legs, top of nose, and base of tail, dark grizzled gray (rather darker on top of head), interspersed with many scattered hairs having median rings of reddish buffy; ears dingy whitish gray with small whitish basal patches; feet grayish white, the toes often nearly white; narrow ring around eyes pale fulvous, confluent with a darker area of fulvous brown extending back along sides of head to base of ears; sides of nose, lower cheeks, chin and throat, pale grayish; underparts usually rusty rufous, brighter than in true gréseoflavus ; tail at base all around like back; above, black heavily washed with white; below, usually with broad median area of yellowish, yellowish brown or rusty rufous, black border and well marked white edge. Hairs on back black, tipped rather broadly with white and often with broad median rings of reddish buff (most numerous and conspicuous along flanks). Vartation.—The series at hand shows but little variation in the upperparts. In some specimens the crown is darker, and the brown area behind the eyes more distinctly marked; the feet vary from grizzled gray to almost white. The greatest variation is in the underparts and tail. Eight of the twelve specimens are bright ferruginous below, one is dull buffy yellow, one dark grizzled gray heavily washed with 70 NELSON rusty rufous, while the two others are washed with rufous except a grizzled gray band about 4 inches broad across the belly. The median area on the lower surface of tail is sometimes broad, sometimes merely a narrow line (the black border increasing in width as the other de- creases) and varies from rusty ferruginous to yellowish brown. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 506.2; tail vertebra 256; hind foot 68.2 Cranial characters.—Premolars ?. Skull a little shorter than that of grzseoflavus but scarcely distinguishable from the latter or from that of S. awreogaster. Five adult skulls from the type locality aver- age: basal length 50.9; palatal length, 26.6; interorbital breadth 19.1; zygomatic breadth 34.3; length of upper molar series 11.4. General notes.—The squirrels taken in the oak forest between gooo and 10,000 feet altitude on the mountains at Todos Santos, Guatemala, are intermediate between chzafensis and true gréseoflavus. Those taken at Calel, Guatemala, are more yellowish brown and much closer to griseoflavus. A specimen from the arid subtropical canyon at Nenton, Guatemala (below 3000 feet), and two others from similar localities near Tuxtla, Chiapas, seem to indicate a direct gradation, in this intermediate region, between S. er¢seoflavus chiapensts and S. soctal’s. Unfortu- nately our series from intermediate points is too limited to satisfactorily decide this point. Surprising as it may appear, the differences be- tween griseoflavus chiapensts and soczadzs are not greater than those ~ between the latter and S. soc¢alis cocos. Flabits.—The Chiapas squirrel feeds upon both acorns and pine seeds, moving from one part of the forest to another with the season. Specimens examined.—Twelve: all from the type locality. SCIURUS YUCATANENSIS Allen. Yucatan Squirrel. Sciurus carolinensis var. yucatanensis ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 705-706, Aug., 1877; Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey, Terr., Iv, p. 879, 1878. Scturus carolinensis ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 658-659 ; Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 124-125, June, 1880 (part: specimens from Yucatan). Scturus yucatanensis ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 1x, pp. 5-7, 1897. Type locality.—Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Cotypes nos. 8502- 8503. U.S. National Museum. Distribution.—Arid tropical forests of peninsula of Yucatan. Characters.—Back dingy, coarsely grizzled gray; belly white; pelage coarse and harsh but not bristly; thin ear tufts sometimes pre- — sent, yellowish white; tail rather full. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 7 Color.—Upperparts, including feet, rather coarsely grizzled black and gray (sometimes suffused with yellowish), more yellowish along middle of back and paler gray on sides of nose, body, and feet; ring around eye dingy whitish; ears sometimes dark gray and sometimes with distinct dingy white basal patch and small dull yellowish white tuft at tip 3 or 9 mm. long; underparts varying from white to pale grizzled gray. Tail at base similar to back; rest of tail above black, heavily washed with white; below, with median area coarsely grizzled black and gray, or dull, pale fulvous, bordered by black and edged with white. Hairs on back black, with broad median ring of white or yellowish. Variatton.—The small series examined does not show much sea- sonal difference, but the presence of ear patches and small tufts in two specimens (¢ and 9 ) and their absence in three others indicate the probable existence of certain marked differences of this kind. One specimen taken at Chichenitza (Mar. 7) is mainly iron gray with slight trace of yellow on the back; the underparts are whitish finely grizzled with black. Another specimen taken at the same locality (Mar. 18) has a strong yellowish shade on the upperparts, and the chin, neck, breast, and middle of belly are nearly pure white, the underparts being grizzled with black only along border of flanks. Measurements.—Average of two adults from Chichen-Itza: total length 451; tail vertebree 222; hind foot 55. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull very similar in general outline to that of typical S. awreogaster but much smaller, with pro- portionately longer nasals and larger audital bulla; nasals rounded in front as in awreogaster. The single skull at hand shows no approach to the massive rostrum and broad flattened nasals of the’ thomasé group. It measures: basal length 45; palatal length 23; interorbital breadth 16.2; zygomatic breadth 19; length of upper molar series 9.5. General notes.—Sciurus yucatanensis is at once separable from S. carolinensis and its races, and from S. ad/enz, by the much coarser grizzling on the back, and the stiffer, harsher pelage in addition to the cranial characters. It is a strongly marked species, the presence of whitish ear tufts in certain pelages separating it from the other Mexi- can and Central American squirrels of the subgenus Echznosccurus. Specimens examined.—F¥ive : from Merida and Chichen-Itza, Yuca- tan. SCIURUS THOMASI sp. nov. Costa Rica Squirrel. Sciurus boothie ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 741-746, 1877 (part: specimens from eastern Costa Rica.—Not 5S. boothia Gray, 1842). 42 NELSON Sciurus hypopyrrhius ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 662-664, 1878 (part); ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 881-882, 1878 ; (part); ALston, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 123-131, 1880 (part: specimens from interior of Costa Rica); ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 111, p. 206, 1891 ; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., IX, p. 35, 1897; ALFARO, Mamiferos de Costa Rica, pp. 30-31, 1897 (part : speci- mens from eastern Costa Rica), Type from Talamanca, Costa Rica. No. 43944 U. S. National Museum. Collected by Wm. Gabb. Distribution.—Humid tropical forests of eastern Costa Rica. Characters.—Entire upperparts black with underlying dark yel- lowish or ferruginous brown shining through; underparts rich deep ferruginous; pelage thin; hair on back coarse, stiff, and glossy; under fur short and thin; tail long and narrow. Color.—Upperparts, including crown, base of tail, sides of neck, and outside of legs, nearly uniform glossy black with yellowish or ferruginous brown of underlying color shining through; top of nose, chin, and sides of head dingy grayish brown; ears blackish with thin tufts of black hairs at tips and conspicuous basal patches of ferrugin- ous; feet varying from black to grizzled ferruginous brown, latter color sometimes extending as a wash over outside of legs; entire un- derparts rich ferruginous, sometimes varied with irregular white areas ; tail above black, thinly washed with white; below with median area black grizzled with ferruginous or yellowish brown, narrowly bordered with black and thinly edged with white. Hairs on back shining black with broad median ring of rusty buffy or rufous brown. Vartation.—The underlying color of the back and the ear patches vary from yellowish brown to rich ferruginous. The darkest, most intensely colored specimen is from Santa Clara and has the median rings on hairs of back nearly as deep ferruginous as the underparts. Measurements.—Average of four adults from eastern Costa Rica (from dry skins): total length 517.5; tail vertebre 246.5; hind foot 62.2. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. HI, fig. 6) even broader and stouter than that of S. doothte@ ébeltz; rostrum much broader and heavier; interorbital breadth much greater; occiput broader. The type skull measures: basal length 50; palatal length 26.2; interorbital breadth 22; zygomatic breadth 35.5; length of upper molar series 11.5. General notes.—This species seems to occupy the more humid area of eastern Costa Rica, ranging inland to the border of the more arid western slope where it meets S. adolphet dorsalis. It may be SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 3 readily distinguished from the latter by the ferruginous ear patches and blackish dorsal surface, the top of head not being paler than back. Although specimens of both S. thomasé and 'S. dorsalis are before me from the same locality, La Carpintera, where their ranges meet, there are no intergrades. I take great pleasure in naming this hand- some species in honor of Mr. Oldfield Thomas, Curator of Mammals in the British Museum. Specimens examined.—Five: from Talamanca, La Carpintera and Santa Clara, Costa Rica. SCIURUS ADOLPHEI (Lesson). Nicaragua Squirrel. Macroxus adolphet LESSON, Rev. Zool., V, p. 130, 1842 (nomen nudum) ; Nouv. Tabl. Régne Animal, Mamm., pp. 112-113, 1842; GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, p. 433, 1867. Sciurus boothie ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 741-746, 1877 (part : Nicaragua). Sciurus hypopyrrhus ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 662-664 ; ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 881-882, 1878 (part) ; Aston, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 128-131, 1880 (part). Type locality.—Realejo, Nicaragua. Type in Paris Museum. Distribution.—Tropical lowlands on west coast of Nicaragua. Characters.—Top of head and nape iron gray, paler than back ; rest of upperparts and base of tail dark grayish brown; underparts and outside of fore and hind legs reddish chestnut brown, sometimes with patches of white. Pelage thin; hairs of back coarse, stiff, and shining; under fur short. Color.—Top of nose and crown dull iron gray; nape grayish brown; rest of back and upper part of thighs darker brown, witha shade of grayish, slightly paler on flanks; sides of nose, cheeks and sides of neck grayish brown; ears like crown and with well marked white basal patches; feet dark chestnut grizzled with blackish ; fore- legs all around (except axillar area), adjacent part of shoulders, lower border of costal area and outer border and inside of thighs (except inguinal area) dark reddish chestnut; underparts (except white chin, throat, axillar and inguinal region), of same reddish chest- nut as legs; tail at base dark grizzled brown; tail above black heavily washed with white; below, with broad median area of rusty brown, a narrow black border and white edge. Hairs on back black, with broad median ring of dull yellowish or slightly reddish brown. Measurements.—Adult, No. 8495 U. S. Nat. Museum (from dry skin) : total length 440; tail vertebrae 199 (tail imperfect) ; hind foot 65. Inthe flesh the total length of this species must exceed 500 mm. 74 NELSON General notes.—The type specimen of S. adolphez was collected during the voyage of the French ship ‘ La Pylade’ by the ship’s surgeon, Adolphe Lesson, in whose honor the species was named. The speci- men described above differs from the description of the type only in being a little less intensely colored on the back and in having less white on the underparts. Lesson mentions another specimen from the same locality which had a black dorsal line, grayish sides and flanks, with grizzled gray and white on outside of legs. This squirrel appears to differ from SS. a. dorsa/?s mainly in its darker colors. Specimens examined.—One: from west coast of Nicaragua. SCIURUS ADOLPHEI DORSALIS (Gray). Banded-backed Squirrel. Sciurus dorsalis GRAY, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 138, 1848; SCLATER, Ibid., 1870, pp. 670-671. Scturus rigidus PETERS, Monatsber. K. Pr. Akad. Wiss., Berlin, 1863, pp. 652-653. Scturus intermedius GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, p. 421, 1867. Macroxus dorsalis GRAY, Ann. & Mag, Nat. Hist., 3d ser., Xx, pp. 422-423, 1867 (part). Macroxus nicoyana Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat Hist., 3dser., xx, p. 423, 1867. Macroxus melania Gray, Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, p. 425, 1867.! ?Scturus boothie ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 741-746, 1877 (part: specimens from Costa Rica). Sciurus hypopyrrhus ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 746-750, 1877 (part: No. 8628 from Costa Rica); ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 662-664 (part); ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 881-882, 1878 (part); ALsToNn, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 128- 131, 1880 (part); ALFARO, Mamiferos de Costa Rica, pp. 30-31, 1897 (part : west coast of Costa Rica). Type locality.—Erroneously given as Caracas, Venezuela. (Speci- mens from Liberia, Costa Rica, are typical.) Type in British Museum. Distribution.—Comparatively arid parts of tropical western Costa Rica from near Alajuela (or perhaps even farther south) north to dis- trict about Liberia, the peninsula of Nicoya, and perhaps adjacent part of Nicaragua. Characters.—Colors brighter than in S. ado/phec,; top and sides of head decidedly paler and grayer than back; broad area along middle of back from nape to base of tail blackish brown or grizzled yellowish brown enclosed by band of lighter or paler grayish along sides ; under- parts white, buffy yellowish or bright rufous. Tail long and narrow; 1 This may be a valid species or subspecies but the type was evidently a me- lanistic specimen and in the absence of material I refer it here. The type came from extreme southern Costa Rica (Point Burica). eo — SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 75 pelage thin; hair on dorsal surface coarse and stiff; under fur thin. Teats: p. 4a. 21.14. Color.—This subspecies has several color phases of which the two most characteristic are described below. SAlackish-backed phase: Top and sides of head grizzled gray, paler than back; back with broad band (widening on lumbar region and narrowing thence to tail) blackish, blackish brown, or dark yellowish brown, bordered by band (half an inch to an inch wide) of whitish or gray, paler than dorsal area and separating it from color of underparts; lower flanks, all of legs, feet, and underparts nearly uniform white, buffy, or rufous; cheeks, chin and sides of neck grizzled gray or grayish brown; ears grizzled gray or grayish brown, sometimes bordered with black; ear patches white; tail above black, heavily washed with white, below, a broad median area varying from dark rufous to rusty orange or grayish white, bordered by a black line and edged with white. Grizzled-backed phase: ‘Top and sides of head pale gray or grayish brown, paler than back; rest of back grizzled grayish brown, yellowish brown or blackish brown, darkest on upper half and paler or grayer along sides and on legs; sides usually more or less strongly mixed with color of underparts; fore feet like underparts or heavily washed with same color; hind feet similarly washed but more nearly like outside of hind legs; underparts rusty, bright ferruginous, or buffy, sometimes with irregular white patches; ears like top of head; ear patches large, white; sides of head and chin dull grayish or grayish brown; tail above at base like back, rest of upper surface black, washed with white; below with median band of rusty, rufous, or yellowish brown bordered by black and edged with white. Hairs on middle of back of blackish backed specimens, brownish black with scattered white tips; hairs on flanks of these specimens blackish broadly tipped with white or rufous. Hairs on specimens with grizzled backs, black with median or subterminal ring of rusty buffy, brownish yellow or grayish brown; on flanks similar but usually paler and sometimes with whitish tips. Variations.—This is an extraordinarily variable squirrel. The top of head and upper part of flanks are usually paler than the median dark dorsal area; the underparts, lower flanks and outside of legs and feet may be white, some shade of buff, or bright rufous; or the back may be grizzled brown, with the same color extending over flanks to outside of legs and mixing with the color of the feet. In some cases where the last described phase is most marked the head is but little paler than back, especially in specimens from vicinity of San José and La 76 NELSON Carpintera. At the latter place the range of this subspecies appears to join that of .S. ¢romasz, but no intergrades have been seen. Measurements.—Average of four adults from northwestern Costa Rica (from dry skins): total length, 510; tail vertebre 248.5; hind foot 63.2. ; Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull like that of S. 6. deléz, and similar to that of S. ¢homasz but rather larger with slender ros- trum. Two adult skulls from northwestern Costa Rica average: Basal length 51.7; palatal length 27.7; interorbital breadth 21.8; zy- gomatic breadth 35.2; length of upper molar series 11.7. General notes.—In the original description of Sczurus dorsalis Gray gave Caracas, Venezuela, as the type locality. Dr. Sclater has since stated! that the type came from Nicaragua, but Mr. Thomas writes that he does not know on what authority. Citations of this squirrel from Nicaragua are probably referable to true adol/phez. A number of specimens examined by me from northwestern Costa Rica, especially from near Liberia, agree exactly with Gray’s description, and one (No. 15759 U. S. Nat. Museum, from Liberia, Costa Rica) sent Mr. Thomas for comparison was pronounced by him to be absolutely like the type. The type locality of Gray’s AM/acroxus nicoyana, based on a rufous color-phase of S. a. dorsalis, was given as Nicoya, a town on the peninsula of Nicoya, in northwestern Costa Rica. S. rzg¢dus of Peters and S. zztermedius of Gray are based upon a_ phase of dorsalis in which the head and upper part of flanks are nearly as dark as the middle of the back, but the underparts, lower flanks, and outside of legs and feet are nearly uniform bright rufous. Mr. Thomas has compared a specimen from Alajuela, Costa Rica (No. 15757 U.S. Nat. Museum) with Gray’s type of zztermedzus in the British Museum and pronounces it identical, differing only in slightly duller colors. The type of S. rég¢dus came from San José, Costa Rica. The type locality of ¢ztermedius was given as Guatemala— evidently an error, as no squirrel of this style is found in Guatemala, while it is common in western Costa Rica. Specimens examined.—Twenty: from San José, La Carpintera, Alajuela, Bebedero, San Mateo, Liberia and Nicoya, Costa Rica. SCIURUS BOOTHIL Gray. Honduras Squirrel. Sciurus richardsont Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., x, p. 264, 1842 (not S. richardsont Bachman, 1838). 1Proc. Zool. Soc., London, 1870, pp. 670-671. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA var Sciurus boothie GRAy, List. Spec. Mamm. Brit. Mus., p. 139, 1843; Voy. fig... oulphur,. Zool,, p. 34, pl. 13, fie. 1, 1863. Scturus fuscovartegatus SCHINZ, Synopsis Mamm., II, pp. 15-16, 1845. Macroxus boothie Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., Xx, p. 424, 1867. Scturus hypopyrrhus ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 662-664, 1878 (part); ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., tv, pp. 881-882, 1878 (part); ALsTon, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 128-131, 1880 (part: specimens from Honduras). Type locality.—* Honduras’ (specimens from San Pedro Sula are typical). Type in British Museum. Distribution.—Humid tropical coast forests of northern Honduras and border of Guatemala. Characters.—Back dark grayish brown, washed with shining black; belly white; feet blackish; ears black edged, with basal patches dark rusty; upper- and underparts separated by a narrow line of dull reddish brown along flanks. Pelage thin; hairs on back coarse, stiff, and shining; under fur short; tail long and narrow. Teats: p.1a. 2 i. 4. Color.—Upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail, uniform coarsely grizzled dark grayish brown, sometimes faintly suffused with reddish; outside of legs and feet similar, but darker and sometimes al- most shining black; ears bordered with black; basal patch on back of ears dingy rusty; chin and sides of head dull grayish brown; entire underparts white; tail at base all around like back; rest of tail above black thinly washed with white; below, median area grizzled dark brownish suffused with yellowish or faint rufous, bordered with black, and thinly edged with white. Hairs on back black, with broad median ring of grayish or buffy brown. Vartation.—Three specimens from San Pedro Sula and one from Truxillo, Honduras (July), vary but little, the upperparts being washed with black over brownish, the feet black or blackish, grizzled with grayish brown or dull reddish brown, the underparts uniformly white. A half grown specimen in the National Museum labeled ‘ Guate- mala’ differs from typical specimens in having the outside of the feet and legs black; sides of head and chin finely grizzled dark gray; underparts finely grizzled grayish brown, and lower surface of tail black, grizzled with gray near base. Measurements.— Average of three adults from San Pedro Sula (from dry skins) : total length 524; tail vertebra 255; hind foot 63.3. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. The only skull of this species at hand from San Pedro Sula is immature, but its proportions appear to be the same as those of subspecies de/¢z. 78 NELSON General notes.—Gray first called this species S. richardson in 1842, but finding this name preoccupied by S. rzchardsonz of Bach- man, 1838, he renamed it S. d00tht@ in 1843. Overlooking Gray’s echange, Schinz renamed the species S. fuscovartegatus in 1845. Most recent authors have lumped this squirrel with numerous others under the name hypopyrrhus. Mr. Oldfield Thomas, to whom a specimen from San Pedro Sula, Honduras (No. 19549 9 ad., U. S. National Museum) was sent for comparison with Gray’s type, writes that they agree absolutely in color. Gray gives no definite type locality for this species, but specimens from San Pedro Sula are absolutely typical. Mr. Thomas writes that the type is less than half grown and that in redescribing this species in 1867 (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d. ser., xx, p. 424) Gray mentions, not the type, but specimens received by the British Museum from Honduras in 1845 which have gray instead of white bellies. S. boothie grades into S. 6. de/tz to the south, and it is very probable that another subspecies exists in the mountains of interior Honduras. I have been unable to learn for whom Gray named this species. Specimens examined.—Eight: from San Pedro Sula, Truxillo, and Segovia River, Honduras; Guatemala (1 specimen without definite locality). SCIURUS BOOTHL# BELTI subsp. nov. Escondido River Squirrel. Type from Escondido River, 50 miles from Bluefields, Nicaragua. No. 38477 9 ad., U. S. Nat. Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Collected Nov. 22, 1892, by Chas. W. Richmond. Distribution.—Humid tropical forests of eastern coast region of Nicaragua and north to Segovia River, Honduras. Characters.—Differs from S. d00¢ht@ mainly in having the un- derparts uniformly rusty rufous, and feet grizzled with rusty yellow- ish. Pelage thin; hair on back coarse, stiff and shiny; under fur short and thin; tail flat and slender. Teats: p. 14a. 21.1. Color.—Upperparts including top of nose and base of tail all around grizzled grayish brown, more or less heavily washed with black; ears bordered with black, posterior surface and basal patches dull rusty; sides of head and chin varying from yellowish brown to brownish gray; feet black, grizzled with rusty yellowish; outside of fore and hind legs like flanks but appreciably suffused with rusty yel- low; tail above black, thinly washed with white; below, median area varying from grizzled yellowish brown to rusty, with narrow black SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 79 border and still narrower white edge. Hairs on back, black with a broad dull buffy or yellowish gray median ring. Variation.—The ground color of the back varies from grayish brown with a light suffusion of reddish, to clayey brown with an overlying wash of shiny black. The rusty suffusion on outside of legs is strong in some and light in others. An August specimen is practically the same as others taken in November, thus indicating little or no seasonal change. One from the Segovia River, Honduras, is like those from the type locality, except that the underparts are deeper rufous. Another from the same locality has a brownish shade in the rufous of underparts, and large irregular pectoral and abdom- inal white areas connected by a narrow white median line. A third has the underparts grizzled rusty brown with a large, irregular median white line. These specimens (June and July) have the back heavily washed with black and in some respects are intermediate between typical doothte and beltz. A single melanistic specimen from Nicaragua is the only one seen. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 512; tail vertebra 261.6; hind foot 61.7. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. I, figs. 1 and 5) generally similar to that of S. a@ureogaster, but rostrum broader and heavier, anterior end of nasals broader and more flattened, interorbital width greater, occiput usually broader; the small premolar heavier, thus resembling S. ¢homasz. Four adult skulls from the type locality average: Basal length 48.8; palatal length 25.5; interorbital breadth 19.6; zygomatic breadth 33.7; length of upper molar series 11.4. General notes.—This subspecies is named in honor of Thomas Belt, the well known author of ‘ A Naturalist in Nicaragua.’ Hfabits.—Dr. Richmond found these squirrels living in the forests along the borders of clearings or other openings. Specimens examined.—Eight: from Escondido River, Nicaragua ; and Segovia River, Honduras. SCIURUS VARIEGATOIDES Ogilby. Variegated Squirrel. Sciurus variegatoides OGILBY, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1839, p. 117; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., v, pp. 62-63, 1840; WAGNER, Supplement. Schre- ber’s Saugthiere, 111, pp. 185-186, 1843. Macroxus pyladei Lesson, Rev. Zool., Paris, v, p. 130, April, 1842 (nomen nudum) ; Nouv. Tabl. Régne Anim., Mamm., p. 112, 1842. Sciurus griseocaudatus GRAY, Voyage of ‘Sulphur,’ Mammalia, 1, p. 34, pl. 13, fig. 2, pl. 18, figs. 7-12, 1843. Sciurus pyladiti BARD, Mamm. N. Am., p. 282, 1857. Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1899. 80 NELSON Macroxus colliai Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., Xx, pp. 421-422, 1867 (part: var. I). Sciurus hypopyrrhus ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 746-750, 1877 (part: No. 7019 from La Union, Salvador); Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 881-882, 1878 (part); ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 662-664 (part); Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 128-131, 1880 (part). Type locality.—Salvador, Central America. Type in British Mu seum. Distribution.—Tropical forests of Salvador, west coast of Central America. Characters.—Entire upperparts and base of tail dingy yellowish gray; underparts and feet dull buffy ochraceous. Tail rather slender ; pelage thin; hairs of back coarse, stiff and shining; under fur short and thin. Color.—Entire upperparts, including top of head, outside of legs near body, and base of tail all round, nearly uniform dull grizzled buffy gray; backs of ears pale rusty with basal patches of dull buff, and narrow indistinct borders of black; feet, and outside of legs on lower half, dark ochraceous buff; paler or grayer buffy on chin, sides of nose and cheeks; underparts dark dingy buff; tail above, black washed with white; below, with broad median area like back, bordered by line of black and edged with grayish white. Hairs on back black, with broad median rings of pale yellowish gray; under fur dark sooty plumbeous. Measurements.—Dry skin from La Union, Salvador, No. 7020 adult, U. S. Nat. Museum: total length 545; tail vertebra 280; hind foot 66. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull similar to that of S. thomasz, but proportionately narrower and slenderer with much lighter jugals and smaller audital bull. It measures: basal length 49; pal- atal length 26; interorbital breadth 20: zygomatic breadth 34; length of upper molar series II. General notes.—The specimen described above was compared with Ogilby’s type in the British Museum by Mr. Thomas, who pronounces the two identical, and adds that the type of S. g77seocaudatus Gray differs from them only in having the color of the belly a little richer. Ogilby described this species from a specimen taken during the voyage of the ‘Sulphur,’ and later Gray described S. grzseocaudatus from another specimen collected during the same voyage. By an error, Ogilby stated that his specimen came from the west coast of South America, but Gray gave the locality of his type more correctly as the west coast of Central America. Lesson’s S. pyladed¢ from San Carlos, SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA SI Salvador, as shown by the original description, was typical S. varce- gatotdes; this, with the specimen in the U.S. National Museum, definitely determines the region where the species is found. Specimen examined.—One: from La Union, Salvador. SCIURUS MANAGUENSIS Nelson. Rio Managua Squirrel. Sciurus boothie managuensis NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, p. 150, June 3, 1898. Type locality.—Managua River, Guatemala. Type no. 62476 U.S. National Museum. Distribution.—Humid tropical forests along Managua River, north- ern Guatemala. Characters.—Size of S. boothie but yellower on dorsal surface and uniformly light buffy yellow below. Pelage rather dense ; hairs of back coarse, stiff and shining; tail long and narrow. Teats p. } a. 21.4, Colors. —Upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail coarsely grizzled dull yellowish or grayish brown; crown and middle of back washed with shining black; sides of body and outside of legs more suffused with yellowish; feet of type bright buffy yellow only slightly grizzled (much more grizzled in two other specimens) ; ears edged with black and tipped with thin tuft of rusty hairs ; basal patches con- spicuous dull buffy yellow; sides of head and chin dingy yellowish or grayish brown; underparts, varying from rich, almost reddish buffy to dingy yellow; tail above black, thinly washed with white; below, with broad median area varying from grizzled grayish brown shaded with yellowish, to yellowish brown, bordered with black and edged with white. Hairs on back black, with broad median rings of dull yellowish buffy, or sometimes grayish. Variation.—Two of the three specimens examined, including the type, are distinctly suffused with yellowish on back and bright yellow below; the third specimen is pale brownish gray above and much paler, dingier yellow below, but has the lower surface of tail slightly shaded with rusty and the feet and back with only a slight suffusion of yellowish. Measurements.—Average of 3 adults from type locality (from dried skins): total length 537, tail vertebra 270; hind foot 62.7. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull very similar to that of S. aureogaster but somewhat narrower; inner anterior border of audi- tal bulla more indented, as in S. Jo0thie. Two adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 50.2; palatal length 27; in- 82 NELSON terorbital breadth 19; zygomatic breadth 33.9; length of upper molar series 11.5. General notes.—This squirrel was originally described as a sub- species of S$. d0o0thi@ and is closely related to that species, but further study of the material at hand shows such strong differences that it seems best to regard the animals as distinct. The difference in size, more vivid yellow shade, and heavier wash of black on dorsal surface are sufficient to distinguish S. managuensis from S. vartegatordes, which resembles it but is a larger, duller colored species. Specimens examined.—Three: all from the type locality. SCIURUS GOLDMANI Nelson. Goldman’s Squirrel. Sciurus goldmani NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, Xii, pp. 149-150, June 3, 1898. Type locality.—Huehuetan, Chiapas, Mexico. Type no. 77903 U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distribution.—Arid tropical forests along southeastern coast of Chiapas, Mexico, and adjacent part of Guatemala (below 1500 ft.). Characters.—Entire upperparts coarsely grizzled iron gray with an underlying yellowish or buffy shade; ear patches white and unusu- ally conspicuous (in winter) ; ear tufts thin, rusty ferruginous; under- parts, white. Pelage on dorsal surface thin; hairs coarse, stiff and shining; tail long and narrow. Teats: p. 4a. 3 i. 4. Color.—Winter pelage: Nose and crown dark iron gray usually suffused with yellowish or buffy and washed with shiny black; rest of upperparts rather paler, more yellowish iron gray (paler on nape and sides), darker and more washed with shining black along middle of back and rump; fore feet paler, shading through darker gray on out- side of legs to yellowish gray of shoulders; outside of thighs like flanks ; hind feet grizzled iron gray, toes grayish white; ears, anteriorly dingy grayish with a distinct black border all around, posteriorly the upper half covered by a thin rusty ferruginous tuft and lower half by the large white basal patch; ring around eye narrow, dull buffy brown; sides of nose and cheeks dingy gray or grayish brown; entire under- parts white; tail above black, thinly washed with white; below, me- dian area ‘dull grizzled iron gray, varying to grizzled yellowish or rusty, with a narrow black border, broad subterminal area of black, and narrower edge of white. Hairs on back black with broad median rings of pale yellowish gray (sometimes buffy). Vartation.—The main variation is in the color of the back which may be gray with a pale yellowish suffusion, or a deep, slightly rusty, buff grizzled with black. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 83 Measurements._——Average of five adults from type locality: total length, 550.8; tail vertebre 280.8; hind foot 66.2. Cranzal characters.—Premolars 2. Skull closely resembling that of typical S. aureogaster but differing in slightly heavier rostrum, larger and longer audital bullz, and in having the peg-like first premolar set well inside the anterior angle of the second premolar. Five adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 51.2; palatal length 26.9; interorbital breadth 19.8; zygomatic breadth 33.9; length of upper molar series 11.3. General notes.— Sciurus goldmant bears a superficial resemblance to S. colliet nuchalis but may be readily distinguished by the black bordered ears, with large white basal patches, and the uniform color of thighs and back. The hairs on the back are coarser and stiffer. Specimens examined.—Ten: from Huehuetan, Chiapas; and Guatemala. HESPEROSCIURUS subgen. nov. (pl. I, fig. 5; pl. II, fig. 4). SCIURUS GRISEUS Ord. California Gray Squirrel. Sciurus griseus ORD., Journ. de Phys., LXXXVII, p. 152, 1818. Sciurus fossor PEALE, Mamm. and Birds U.S. Expl. Expedition, p. 55, 1848. Sciturus heermannt LECONTE, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., p. 149, 1852 (type locality California). Sciurus fossor anthonyt MEARNS, Proc. U. S. Nat. Museum, Xx, pp. 501-502, Jan. 19, 1898 (type from Campbell Ranch, Laguna, San Diego Co., California). Type locality.x—The Dalles, Columbia River, Oregon. No type specimen. Named from description. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition (and upper border of Austral) zone from extreme southwestern Washington through western Oregon and most of California (except coast belt south of San Francisco) to northern Lower California, Mexico. Characters.—Size large; tail long and bushy; upperparts gray; underparts white. Pelage full and soft; under fur long and thick; ears thinly haired. Teats: p. 4a. 21.1. Color.—Typical June specimens from Oregon: Upperparts, in- cluding top of nose and base of tail, pale gray sometimes with slight traces of yellowish on back; outside of legs similar, but fore legs sometimes a little paler; fore feet varying from dingy grayish white to gray scarcely paler than back; hind feet gray, varying from a little paler than back to grizzled blackish gray, occasionally with white markings on hind feet and toes; ears gray, sometimes suffused with 84 NELSON dingy yellowish brown; basal patches small, dingy gray or yellowish gray; sides of head finely grizzled gray, more whitish than back; ring around eye white, poorly defined; underparts white; tail above black with a thin wash of white; below, with broad median area dark grizzled gray, a rather poorly defined black border, and thin white edge. Hairs on back mostly black, with from one to three rings of white or yellowish, intermixed with others entirely black. Variation.—The large series examined shows but little individual variation. Winter specimens from northern California are somewhat darker, more iron gray above, with much less black on upper surface of tail so that the underlying gray shows through; the ears are more hairy and inclining to rusty on backs and basal patches. Measurements.—Average of five specimens from the Columbia River region—near type locality of S. grzseus: total length 569; tail vertebre 270.6; hind foot 81.8. Average of five adults from San Diego Co., California—topotypes of ‘azthonyz’: total length 566; tail vertebree 284; hind foot So. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. I, fig. 5; pl. H, fig. 4) rather long, tapering anteriorly; nasals long, narrowed posteriorly ; posterior part of the braincase inflated; audital bulle small; postorbital process of malar usually ending in a well developed point. Molars unusually massive and the peg-like second premolar stouter than usual. Skulls from the type locality of S. grzseus ‘ anthonyt’ average a little smaller than those from the Columbia River region, but the range of individual variation from the two localities is such that it is impossible to find any definite subspecific characters. Five adult skulls from near the type locality in the Colaum- bia River region average: basal length 58.3; palatal length 32.1; inter- orbital breadth 20.8; zygomatic breadth 38.7; length of upper molar series 12.9. Five adult skulls from type locality of S. grzseus anthonyt average: basal length 56.3; palatal length 30.2; inter- orbital breadth 20.9; zygomatic breadth 37.7; length of upper molar series I1.7. General notes.—Ord’s S. griseus is based on the ‘ Large Gray Squirrel’ of Lewis and Clark, which is said to have been found ina narrow tract of country well covered with white oak timber on the upper side of the mountains just below ‘Columbia Falls.’ From Lewis and Clark’s narrative and the well known character of the coun- try itis evident that the place referred to is near The Dalles of the Columbia, which fixes the type locality with some certainty. A careful comparison of the type and topotypes of ‘ S. fossor an 22 = Sek — SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 85 thonyz’ in the National Museum, with a large series of typical S. gr?- seus from Oregon and Washington, fails to show any character by which they can be satisfactorily separated. The type and some of the topotypes of axzthonyz can be matched by specimens taken at.the same season in Oregon; I am obliged therefore to treat axthony¢ as synonym of S. griseus. Some specimens from the type region of ‘ axthonyz’ have the feet intermediate in color between griseus and nigripes.' Specimens examined.—Fifty-two: from many localities in Wash- ington, Oregon, and California. OTOSCIURUS subgen. nov. (Pl. I, fig. 2). SCIURUS DURANGI (Thomas). Durango Squirrel. Scturus abertti THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1882, p. 372; ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat, Hist., v, p. 28, April, 1893. (Not S. aberti Wood- house, 1852.) Sciurus aberti durangt THOMAS, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 6th ser., x1, pp. 49-50, Jan., 1893. Type locality.—Ciudad ranch (100 miles west of Durango City, Durango, Mexico. Type no. 82.3.20.16., British Museum. Distribution.—Pine forests of Transition and lower border of Boreal zones in Sierra Madre, western Durango and Chihuahua, Mexico (alt. 7000-11,000 feet). Characters.—Similar to S. abertz, but much less reddish chestnut on back; sides of nose to eyes usually reddish buffy, feet more or less grizzled gray; tail much less full, and its lower surface uniformly . grizzled gray; ears smaller and narrower; ear tufts in winter long (ab- sent insummer). Pelage soft and full; under furlong. Teats: p. + Color.—Summer pelage: Upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail, dingy gray, with dark rufous or reddish chestnut along back from shoulders to rump, but not reaching base of tail as in S. abertd; outside of forelegs rather paler than back; fore feet white or pale gray; outside of hind legs like flanks; hind feet uniform grizzled gray like outside of thighs, or gray mottled irregularly with areas of white and sometimes dingy rusty; a poorly defined black line along flanks separating color of upper and lower parts; sides of nose (to eyes) sometimes dingy gray suffused with brownish but usually reddish brown; same color shading fore part and sometimes all of 1S, fossor nigrifes Bryant, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II, pp. 25-26, 1889. [Type from coast region south of San Francisco, probably San Mateo or Santa Cruz Co., Calif. ] 86 NELSON white ring around eye; rest of sides of head finely grizzled gray, paler than back; ears dingy gray and thinly haired, sometimes with traces of grizzled gray and black winter tufts; underparts white ; tail at base all around like rump; rest of tail above black, heavily washed with white; below uniformly grizzled gray, with narrow indis- tinct black border, a well marked subterminal black area, and broad white edging. Hairs on back black with two to three rings of grayish white, the rings often becoming rufous on middle of back. Variéation.—In some specimens the upperparts are nearly uniform dingy gray, the chestnut dorsal area being indicated merely by a rusty suffusion along the lumbar region. In those with a distinct chestnut dorsal area, numerous rufous ringed hairs are scattered over the back and flanks, giving the gray a slight brownish tinge. The color of the hind feet is very variable and is scarcely alike in any two specimens, but is never pure white as in ader¢tz. One of the most striking and constant characters of this species is the entire absence of white on the underside of the tail. Measurements.—Average of five adults from vicinity of type lo- cality: total length 486.4; tail vertebre 235.4; hind foot 71.2. Five adult topotypes of .S. a@dert¢ average: total length 510; tail vertebre 229.8; hind foot 75.6. Cranial characters.—Premolars *- Skull (pl. I, fig. 2) generally similar to that of S. ader¢tz but somewhat smaller, with notably smaller molars, and shorter and more slender first premolar; audital bull relatively larger; braincase a little less drawn out posteriorly. Five adult skulls from vicinity of type locality average as follows: basal length 50.1; palatal length 27.3; interorbital breadth 19.8 zy- gomatic breadth 34.5; length of upper molar series 10.8. Five adult skulls of .S. ader¢¢ from type locality average: basal length 52; pa- latal length 27.8; interorbital breadth 19.8; zygomatic breadth 35.1; length of upper molar series 11.2. General notes.—The characters which separate this squirrel from S. aderté are so constant in the series before me that it seems best to consider it a distinct species. Each species has a well defined range, there being a broad gap in northern Chihuahua and southern Arizona in which neither occurs. Specimens examtned.—Thirty-two: from El Salto (near Ciudad ranch), Durango; Sierra Madre and near Guadalupe y Calvo, Chi- huahua (in southwestern corner of State). SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 87 Subgenus TAMIASCIURUS Trouessart (pl. I, fig. 8). SCIURUS DOUGLASI MEARNSI (Townsend). Mearns’ Squirrel. Sciurus hudsonius mearnst TOWNSEND, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XI, p. 146, June g, 1897. Sciurus mearnst ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., x, pp. 286-287, 1898. Type locality. —San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California (about 7000 ft. alt.). Type no. $3335. U.S. National Museum. Distribution. —Pine forest of San Pedro Martir Mountains, Lower California, Mexico. Transition zone. Characters.—Generally similar to S. douglas? albolimbatus but grayer, with feet pale yellowish, or buffy white. Pelage soft and dense; under fur long; tail short and bushy. Color.—Entire upperparts, including top of nose, outside of fore- legs and thighs pale dingy gray, with pale yellowish or rusty suffusion extending from nape along back and out on middle of basal half of tail; sides of nose pale buffy whitish; sides of head grizzled gray, paler than back; ring around eye whitish; ears, in front, like sides of head, behind like crown, with well marked tuft of black hairs, slightly grizzled with gray or dingy fulvous; line along flanks black, distinctly separating color of back from that of underparts ; feet pale yellowish white; fore feet inclining to buffy ; underparts dingy white ; under fur plumbeous, showing through white surface; tail above, median line of basal half like middle of rump, but edged and slightly grizzled with white; rest of upper surface black washed with white tail below, median area of basal two-thirds dingy grizzled gray bor- dered with black (the black also extends over most of outer third) and narrowly edged with white. Dorsal hairs black with broad median and narrow subterminal rings of pale dull grayish or dingy yellowish (the latter mainly along middle of back). Vartation.—The three specimens of this squirrel before me were taken in April and May and show little variation. They are paler than typical specimens of a/bolimbatus taken at the same season but are not strikingly different. Measurements.—Average of three adults from type locality (from dry skins): total length 305; tail vertebre 111.3; hind foot 50.6. (The total length and tail measurements are, no doubt, too short.) Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. I, fig. 8) much like that of S. d. albolémbatus. The type measures: basal length 41; pa- latal length 25; interorbital breadth 14.5; zygomatic breadth 28; length of upper molar series 5. Specimens examined.—Three: all from type locality. 88 NELSON ARAOSCIURUS subgen. nov. (?l. I, fig. 3.) SCIURUS OCULATUS Peters. Black-backed Squirrel. Sciurus capistratus LICHTENSTEIN, Abhandl. K, Akad. Wiss., Berlin (1827), p. 116, 1830. (Not S. capistratus Bosc, 1802.) Sciurus carolinensis SAUSSURE, Rev. et Mag. de Zool., 2e ser., XIII, p. 4, 1861. (Not S. carolinensis Gmelin, 1788.) Sciurus oculatus PETERS, Monatsber. K. Akad. Wiss., Berlin 1863, p. 63. Scturus hypopyrrhus ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, pp. 881- 882, 1878 (part). Sciurus niger melanonotus THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 73-74, pl. VI, 1890; ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., v, p. 30, 1893; Ibid., 1x, p. 198, 1897. Type locality.—Mexico, probably near Las Vigas, Vera Cruz. Type no. 1434 Berlin Museum. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones in northern Puebla, western Vera Cruz (Cofre de Perote—Mt. Ori- zaba), Hidalgo, eastern Queretaro, and southeastern San Luis Potosi, Mexico (alt. 6000-12,000 feet). Characters.—Size large; upperparts gray with large black or blackish area along middle of back; belly buffy. Pelage rather soft and dense; under fur long; tail long and full. Teats: p. ta. 21.4. Color.—Crown between ears, and broad band along middle of back from shoulders to base of tail, black or blackish, shading on edges to dark gray like remainder of upperparts; ring around eye well marked, buffy whitish or buffy; cheeks usually grizzled gray like sides of neck but sometimes washed with buff; ears dingy gray frequently washed with dull buff of variable intensity; basal ear patch varying from dingy white to dark buffy (sometimes absent in summer) ; feet varying from grizzled gray washed with buffy to rich buff shading to gray on outside of forelegs; outside of lower hind legs varying from gray like rest of thigh to dark rusty brownish. Underparts varying from white with pale dull buffy suffusion to rich ochraceous buff; tail above black, heavily washed with white; below, with broad median area of grizzled yellowish gray, bordered with black and heavily edged with white. Hairs of back black, with one or two rings of gray, yellowish gray or brownish gray, mixed with other hairs wholly black. Variation.—The black dorsal band is usually present, sometimes continuous from crown to tail (as in a specimen from Tulancingo), and varies from 25 to 50 mm. in width; but in two specimens from the Cofre de Perote, Vera Cruz, and in nearly all from Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro, it is represented only by a black wash. The buff on underparts of the latter specimens is decidedly richer than on ordi- SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 89 nary examples with black backs, and is equally intense in specimens from Encarnacion, Hidalgo, which have the well-marked black dorsal band. Two specimens from Villar, San Luis Potosi, in worn summer pelage, differ in being uniform gray on back, scarcely darker along median line, but they agree with the Pinal de Amoles specimens in ° the rich, buffy underparts. The buff on feet accompanies and varies in intensity with same color on underparts. The only melanistic specimen in the series is from Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 542.8; tail vertebrz 269; hind foot 72.7. Cranial characters.—Premolars +. Skull (pl. I, fig. 3) propor- tionately broader and heavier than that of Zudovic¢anus ; rostrum shorter and heavier ; interorbital breadth greater; top of braincase broader and less convex on interparietal outline; occiput decidedly broader and more depressed; audital bulle appreciably larger and more drawn out anteriorly and posteriorly. Three adult skulls from the type locality average as follows: basilar length 54.6; palatal length 28.5; interor- bital breadth 20.3; zygomatic breadth 36.3; length of upper molar series II. . General notes.—Peters described Scturus oculatus in 1864 from a specimen collected by Deppe in eastern Mexico. Thomas redescribed the species in 1890 as S. xiger melanonotus, from specimens taken at Las Vigas, Vera Cruz. Specimens from Las Vigas agree perfectly with the original description of S. ocu/atus, and since this locality is on the route followed by Deppe it may be considered the type locality. ffabits.—This species properly belongs to the pine forests of the Transition and Boreal zones from 7500-12,000 feet, but at Villar, San Luis Potosi, near the northern border of its range, we found it in the oaks of the Upper and Lower Austral zones (5500-6000 feet) where it was feeding on acorns and wild figs in the canyon bottoms. Ordi- narily its main food supply is obtained from various species of pines. Specimens examined.—Forty-six : from Mt. Orizaba, Puebla; Cofre de Perote and Las Vigas, Vera Cruz; Real del Monte, Tulancingo and Encarnacion, Hidalgo; Pinal de Amoles, Queretaro; Villar, San Luis Potosi (6000 feet). SCIURUS OCULATUS TOLUCZ Nelson. Toluca Squirrel. Sciurus oculatus toluce NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, xu, pp. 148- 149, June 3, 1898. Type locality.—North slope of the Volcano of Toluca, State of Mexico, Mexico. Type no. 55927 U. S. National Museum, Bio- logical Survey collection. go NELSON Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition and Boreal zones on tableland slope of the Sierra Madre in the State of Mexico, from the Volcano of Toluca north to border of Michoacan; also arid moun- tains of southern and western Queretaro, central and eastern Guana- juato, and southern San Luis Potosi, Mexico (alt. '7500—12,000 feet). Characters.—Paler than S. ocudatus, with a wash of blackish, or blackish brown along middle of back; underparts dingy whitish, with only a faint suffusion of buffy. Pelage and teats as in S. oculatus. Color.—Top of head and broad median line down back to base of tail, gray with a faint blackish or dull brownish wash shading laterally into clearer grizzled gray; latter color, however, with slight shading of yellowish on subterminal rings of some hairs; ring around eye grayish white with pale buffy shade; rest of sides of head dingy gray suffused with dull buffy or pale brownish; ears dull gray shaded with buffy ; patch behind ear dingy whitish; feet grayish white with buffy wash, usually deeper than on underparts; outside of fore legs and thighs like flanks; thighs near feet suffused with yellowish brown; tail above black, heavily washed with white; below, along median line grizzled yellowish gray or pale yellowish brown, bordered with black and broadly edged with white. Hairs of back black with one ortwo rings of gray, yellowish or brownish gray, mixed with other hairs wholly black. Variéation.—A single melanistic specimen from the type locality is the only one seen. The four normal specimens show little variation, and this mainly in the amount of buffy on the feet and in the intensity of the dark wash along middle of back. Measurements.—Average of four adults from type locality: total length 531; tail vertebre 263; hind foot 68.7. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Skull much like that of S. oculatus, but in nearly all of the specimens examined the nasals are much narrower posteriorly with a corresponding increase in breadth of the premaxillaries. Two adult skulls from type locality average as follows: basilar length 54; palatal length 29; interorbital breadth 20.5 ; zygomatic breadth 36.7; length of upper molar series Ir. General notes.—This form resembles specimens of S. oculatus from Pinal de Amoles very closely in the color of the back, but may be distinguished at once by the whitish ear patches and whitish ven- tral surface. It was named for the Volcano of Toluca, the type locality. ‘ Specimens examined.—Seven: from Volcano of Toluca, Mexico; Tequisquiapan, Queretaro; mountains north of Guanajuato city, Guanajuato, Mexico. SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA Oi SCIURUS ALLENI Nelson. Allen’s Squirrel. ‘Scturus carolinensis ??’ BAIRD, Mamm. N. Am., pp. 263-264, 1857 (Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, Mexico). Scturus carolinensis var. carolinensis ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 706-709, 716, 1877 (part: from Nuevo Leon, Mexico). Sciurus carolinensis ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 658-659, 1878 ; Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm., pp. 124-125, June, 1880 (part: from Nuevo Leon, Mexico). Sciurus arizonensis ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 111, p. 222, May, 1891 (part: from San Pedro Mines, Nuevo Leon, Mexico). Sciurus allent NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, x1I, pp. 147-148, June 3, 1898. Type localzty.—Monterey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Type no, 25731 U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distribution.—Open pecan and other forests of Lower Sonoran zone near Monterey, Nuevo Leon, extending up to oak and pine forests of Transition zone near Victoria and Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico (alt. 2000-8500 ft.). Characters.—Upperparts nearly uniform grayish brown or yellowish brown, much as in Sczurus carolinensis; feet gray; underparts white. Pelage on back soft and rather dense; tail rather full. Teats: p. 4 a.2i.4, Color.— Winter pelage: Entire upperparts yellowish brown, finely grizzled with gray and black, usually darker along back and grayer along sides; top of head similar, but usually a little darker; eye with distinct ring of dingy whitish shaded with buff on outer border; sides of head grizzled dusky gray, often suffused with yellowish brown; ears and basal patch brownish gray; fore feet and outside of fore legs whitish gray, frequently more or less washed with buffy; hind feet whitish gray, usually with a spot of dark buffy on middle of upper surface; outside of thighs like flanks but often with a browner shade near feet; underparts white; color of upper- and lowerparts usually separated by a narrow line of pale grayish; base of tail all around like back; tail above black, heavily washed with white, the yellowish brown or yellowish gray under color often showing through ; below with broad median area of grizzled yellowish brown or yellow- ish gray, narrowly bordered with black and edged with white. Hairs of back black, with one and often two rings of gray, buffy, or buffy brown, the two colors sometimes on same hair and sometimes on distinct hairs. The pelage in summer is darker and more yellowish brown than in winter—due to absence of most of the gray or white tips to hairs. Q2 NELSON Vartation.—The striking differences in proportions between speci- mens from the lowlands near Monterey and those from the mountains near Miquihuana (alt. 8500 ft.) as shown by the average measure- ments are not accompanied by similar differences in color. The upper- parts are sometimes grizzled brown and vary from that to nearly clear gray. A specimen from the San Pedro Mines, Nuevo Leon, has the upperparts dark yellowish brown, darkest (thinly washed with black) on top of head. The eye is surrounded by a ring of dark buff, the fore feet are washed with buff and the hind feet with grayish white. Another specimen in similar pelage was taken at Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, in June; a winter specimen from Rio San Juan, Nuevo Leon, is almost as dark but has grayer sides and feet. No signs of melanism seen. Measurements.—Average of five adults from vicinity of type local- ity: total length 471; tail vertebre 217; hind foot 60.6. Average of five adults from mountains near Miquihuana, Tamaulipas: total length 465; tail vertebre 230.4; hind foot 65.8. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Skulls of S. allenz are only distinguishable from those of S. oculatus by their smaller size. Five adult skulls from region of type locality average: basilar length 50.4; palatal length 26.3; interorbital breadth 18.4; zygomatic breadth 33.7; length of upper molar series 10.5. Five adult skulls from near Miquihuana average: basal length 50; palatal length 25.6; interorbital breadth 18.1; zygomatic breadth 33.7; length of upper molar series 10.3. General notes.—Sciurus allent bears a close superficial resem- blance to S. carolinensts of Texas, but has only a single premolar. From S. 0. ¢odwce it differs mainly in smaller size, grayer feet and whiter belly. The type of this species came from near Monterey, Nuevo Leon. By a slip of the pen in the original description the type locality was given as Monterey, Tamaulipas. Baird called attention to this squirrel in 1857, under the name ‘ Sc¢éuraus carolinensis ??’ and gave the essential characters which separate it from S. carolénensts. Sub- sequent authors have referred it to the same species or to S. arzzon- ensts, but a series in the collection of the Biological Survey shows that it is a well defined species most nearly related to S. ocwlatus. Neither S. carolinensts, nor any close relative of that species occurs in Mexico. Specimens examined. —Twenty-two: from Monterey, Linares, Rio de San Juan, and San Pedro Mines, Nuevo Leon; near Victoria and Miquihuana, Tamaulipas. Bi 7 ears SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 93 SCIURUS NAYARITENSIS Allen. Nayarit Squirrel. Scturus alstont ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 11, pp. 167-170, October, 1889 ( Not S. a/ston¢ Anderson, 1878). Scturus nayaritensis ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 11, p. vii, footnote, Feb. 1890 (new name for S. a/stonz ALLEN); Ibid., 111, p. 185, 1890; Ibid., v, p. 30, April, 1893. Type locality.—Sierra Valparaiso, Zacatecas, Mexico. Type no. 1985 American Museum of Natural History, New York. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of the Transition Zone in the Sierra Madre and outlying spurs of western Zacatecas, southern Du- rango, eastern Tepic and southern Jalisco, Mexico (alt. 6500-gooo0 ft.) . Characters.—Size large; back dark gray; ears rusty, belly and feet white. Tail bushy; ears thinly haired; pelage thick and soft; under furlong. Teats: p. 1a. 2i. 1. Color.—Upperparts dark gray, with underlying rusty yellowish showing through; broad ring around eye white; rest of sides of head gray, frequently shaded with rusty brown; ears varying from dingy grayish to dull rusty brown; outside of fore legs varying from white to grayish white, or white suffused with buffy ; fore feet dingy white often suffused with buffy; outside of hind legs paler or more washed with whitish than back; hind feet grayish white, often washed with buffy ; toes whitish suffused more or less with buffy; underparts white; tail above at base like back, rest of upper surface black heavily washed with white; below, with broad ferruginous median area, heavy black border, and broad white edge, the white often extending as a wash over the entire lower surface. Hairs on back rusty yellow (sometimes ferru- ginous) with broad subterminal black rings and narrow white tips. Variation.—Among 17 winter specimens from the type locality ro have a more or less strong wash of rusty on the back part of crown and nape—thus forming a poorly defined nape patch; and one has a simi- lar rusty wash along middle of lumbar region. This winter series is more whitish on the back than summer specimens from the Nayarit Mts. at Santa Teresa, Tepic; and a series taken in September near Pla- teado, Zacatecas, agrees with the one from Santa Teresa. These summer skins have numerous scattered hairs on the back entirely black; others rusty yellow, or dull rufous, with sub-basal and subter- minal black rings, with or without white tips; the white tips when present generally smaller than in the Valparaiso specimens. The re- sult is a generally darker, more rusty, back and an increase of buffy or rusty buff on feet and outside of fore legs. The surface of the tail has less white and the ferruginous median area below is consequently more 94 NELSON distinct. This is probably the summer pelage but may possibly rep- resent a local form. Two specimens from Santa Teresa have the entire underparts dark rusty buffy and are the only ones showing this color below. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 565.8; tail vertebre 272; hind foot 77.5. Cranial characters.—Premolar 41. Upper molars broader and heavier than in S. ocz/atus, but otherwise the skulls are scarcely dis- tinguishable. Five adult skulls from the type locality average: basi- lar length 55.5; palatal length 28.4; interorbital breadth 20.7; zygo- matic breadth 37.1; length of upper molar series 11.7. General notes.—The type of S. alstonz Allen came from the Sierra Valparaiso, but in renaming the species Dr. Allen called it S. nayaritensis from the Nayarit Mts., a part of the Sierra Madre about 100 miles southwest of the type locality. Specimens examined.—Forty-one: from Sierra Valparaiso, Sierra Madre, and Plateado, Zacatecas; Sierra Madre, northern Tepic; Sierra de Juanacatlan and Barranca Beltran (east base Sierra Nevada de Colima), Jalisco. SCIURUS APACHE Allen. Apache Squirrel. Sciurus griseoflavus THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1882, p. 372 (not S. griseofiavus Gray, 1867). Sciurus niger ludovicianus THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1899, p. 73, footnote. Sciurus apache ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N: Y.j) v,)p. 29; Maren 16, 1893. : Type locality.—Mountains of northwestern Chihuahua (near Ba- vispe River?), Mexico. Type no. 3379, American Museum of Natural History, New York. Distribution.—Mixed oak and pine forests of Transition zone in the Sierra Madre of western Durango and Chihuahua, eastern Sonora and northeastern Sinaloa, Mexico, and the Chiricahua Mountains of southern Arizona. Characters.—Size large, about equalling S. Zudovictanus to which it bears a strong general resemblance in color, but is readily distinguish- able by its gray ears, darker, more iron gray upperparts, dull rusty ferruginous hind legs and black upper surface of the tail which is thinly washed with pale yellowish white, or rusty buff. Pelage thick and soft; ears thinly haired. Teats: p. 4a. 31. 4. Color.—Summer pelage: Upperparts including top of nose and base of tail dark, sometimes almost iron gray, often washed but never aso SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 95 strongly shaded with yellow. Crown and back darker, often becoming blackish along middle of rump and on base of tail; top of back some- times, and flanks commonly, washed with pale yellowish; sides of head grizzled gray and dark fulvous, the gray sometimes predominating ; ring around eye well marked and varying from buffy white to rich fulvous buffy; ears dingy gray sometimes suffused with pale buffy; a scanty basal patch of dull buffy or orange buff sometimes present ; feet and often most of fore legs and entire underparts varying from dark dull buffy yellow to rich orange yellow, sometimes suffused with rusty; hind feet usually a little darker than fore feet; outside of hind legs varying from gray suffused with dull rusty to uniform rusty some- times with a strong tawny rufous shade that extends over inside of thighs ; tail above black, with a wash varying from pale yellowish white to rusty yellow; below with broad median area varying from yel- lowish rusty to dull rusty rufous with a broad indistinct black border and broad edge of pale yellowish, or rusty buffy, the latter colors often forming a wash over entire lower surface. Hairs of back black, with small white or pale yellowish tips and broad buffy or yellowish basal or sub-basal rings. Var¢atton.—The amount of individual variation is comparatively small; the back becomes a little paler or darker, the color on outside of thighs more or less intense, and color of lower parts varies in in- tensity as already described. Measurements.—Average of five adults from northern Chihuahua: total length 565.8; tail vertebre 279; hind foot 79.2. Cranial characters.—Premolars +. Skull much larger than that of S. oculatus, with audital bullae proportionately smaller. Five adult skulls from western Durango average as follows: basilar length 56.4; palatal length 28.7; interorbital breadth 21.5; zygomatic breadth 37-5; length of upper molar series 11.9. General notes.—Although the color of Sczurus apache is very much like that of S. Zadovictanus, the form of the skull shows that it belongs to the subgenus Are@osczurus, of which \S. oczlatus is the type. During the summer of 1898 we found S. e@fZache common in the mixed forest of pines and oaks on the mountains of western Durango. They live in hollow oaks, entering by a knot hole or broken branch and were rarely seen on the pines. The upper limit of their range overlaps the lower limit of S. durangé but neither occupies much territory of the other. The type of this fine squirrel came from the region once occupied by the Apache Indians for whom it was named. Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., May, 1899. 96 NELSON Specimens examined.—Thirty-three: from El Salto (southwest of Durango City), Durango; near Guadalupe y Calvo, Bavispe River, and Sierra Madre near Arizona border, Chihuahua; Sierra de Choix, northeastern Sinaloa, Mexico; and the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona. SCIURUS ARIZONENSIS HUACHUCA Allen. Huachuca Squirrel. Sciurus arizonensis huachuca ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., VI, p- 349, Dec. 7, 1894; Ibid., vi1, p. 245, 1895. Type locality.—Huachuca Mountains, southern Arizona. Type no. 2221 American Museum of Natural History, New York. Distribution.—Pine and oak forests of Transition zone, in north- eastern Sonora, Mexico, and Huachuca Mountains, southern Arizona. Characters.—Generally similar to S. arzzonensis but with a broad band of gray over back of neck and shoulders, separating the median grizzled yellowish or pale rusty area into a narrow patch on crown and ears and a larger one on lumbar region and rump. Pelage full and soft; tail long and bushy. Teats: p. 4a. 21. 4. Color.—May specimens from Ft. Huachuca, Arizona: upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail, pale grizzled gray with rusty yellow wash on back of crown, lumbar region and rump; sides of neck, flanks, and outside of hind legs somewhat paler than top of shoulders; fore feet and outside of legs grizzled grayish white, some- times pale gray; hind feet pale grizzled gray ; ring around eye whitish, or slightly buffy; sides of head whitish gray often with postocular yellowish brown suffusion ; ears dingy grayish or dull yellowish, some- times with small patch of dull gray or rusty yellow behind base; under- parts white; tail above black washed with white, heaviest along border; below, broad median area grizzled rusty, dull orange yellow or yellowish brown, with heavy black border and broad white edge. Hairs on back black with white tips and broad yellow sub-basal or basal rings, or with subterminal buffy yellow rings, mixed with other hairs wholly black. Winter pelage similar to that of summer but a little grayer on sides of body and outside of legs and feet; ears more thickly haired and dull rusty with basal patches of same color; white on tail more distinct. Variation.—The type of huachuca has a dull yellowish wash on crown, and the ears and basal ear patches are rusty; the rest of the upperparts are grizzled gray, darker along middle of back where an intermixture of rusty forms a small irregular patch; the flanks, outside ——— SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 97 of legs and feet are paler. This specimen is exceptionally gray on the back, as it lacks the usual well defined yellowish area on rump. Several worn summer specimens from Huachuca have the area about the mouth and inside of fore feet and legs stained deep brown from the juice of walnut shells, and the underparts of a number of speci- mens are dingy buffy, probably due to the same cause. Measurements.—Average of four adults from type locality: total length 517; tail vertebrae 247; hind foot 70.5. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Skull similar to that of S. ocz- latus, but rostrum heavier; parietal region slightly more inflated; oc- ciput higher and narrower; foramen magnum higher, narrower and obtusely triangular; audital bulla decidedly smaller. Four adult skulls from type locality average: basal length 53.5; palatal length 27.53 interorbital breadth 19.9; zygomatic breadth 36.5; length of upper molar series 10.9. Four adult skulls of ar¢zonenszs from near type locality average: basal length 53.2; palatal length 27.1; inter- orbital breadth 20.1; zygomatic breadth 36.4; length of upper molar series I1.4. General notes.—This is not a strongly marked subspecies but the separation of the yellowish dorsal area by the gray band across the shoulders and neck seems to be constant and is accompanied by dif- ferences in size. A specimen from the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, between the type localities of ar¢ézonensts and huachuca, is exactly intermediate between the two forms. Specimens examined.—Twenty-six: from Huachuca Mountains, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico (32 miles south of Nogales). Subgenus PARASCIURUS Trouessart. (pl. I, fig. 1.) SCIURUS LUDOVICIANUS LIMITIS Baird. Texas Fox Squirrel. Sciurus limitis BAIRD, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vil, p. 331, 1855; Mamm. N. Am., p. 256, 1857. Scturus niger var. ludovicianus ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 724-731, 1877 (part : southwest Texas and Nuevo Leon, Mexico). Type locality.—Devils River, Texas. Type no. 351 U.S. Na- tional Museum. Distribution.—W ooded parts of Lower Sonoran zone in southwest- ern Texas and adjacent parts of Nuevo Leon and Coahuila, Mexico. Characters.—Similar to S. ludovicianus but considerably smaller, with slenderer tail, thinner pelage and paler colors. Pelage thin, hairs of back rather harsh; under fur thin. Teats: p. +a. 1. }. 98 NELSON Color.—Entire dorsal surface, including top of nose and base of tail, uniform pale yellowish gray; sides of head dull, dark buffy yellow, grizzled on cheeks with gray and black, sometimes with a slight red- dish shade; ring around eye buffy; ears dingy rusty, or buffy yellow; feet dark yellowish buffy shading into gray on upper part of fore legs; outside of hind legs like back but with a buffy or dull rusty wash near feet; underparts varying from orange buff to pale, slightly reddish rusty; tail above, grizzled black and gray with a thin wash of grayish or pale grayish yellow; below, with broad median area of rusty fer- ruginous or yellowish rusty, often grizzled with black, a narrow black border and thin edging of grayish or pale yellowish. Hairs on back black, with broad subterminal and basal or sub-basal rings of pale yel- lowish or buffy; along sides of body often tipped with white. Variation.—The series at hand shows very slight individual and little if any seasonal variation. The difference lies mainly in. the in- tensity of the yellow or rusty and the amount of grayness on the back, Measurements.—Average of five adults from region of type locality : total length 482.2; tail vertebre 234; hind foot 65.2. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Compared with S. ludovicz- anus the skull (pl. I, fig. 1), is very much smaller. Two adult skulls from Fort Clark, Texas, average: basal length 50; palatal length 25.5; interorbital breadth 18; zygomatic breadth 33.5; length of upper molar series 10.5. Specimens examined.—Fourteen: from near the mouth of Devils River, Fort Clark, and Nueces River, Texas. Subgenus GUERLINGUETUS Gray. (pl. I, fig. 7.) SCIURUS 4ESTUANS HOFFMANNI Peters. Hoffmann’s Squirrel. Sciurus estuans var. hoffmanni PETERS, Monatsber. K. Akad. Wiss., Berlin, 1863, pp. 654-655; THOMAS, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1880, p. 401 ’ (Macroxus griseogena Gray, referred to this form). Macroxus xanthotus Gray, Ann. & Mag, Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, p. 429, 1867. Macroxus griseogena GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., xx, pp. 429— 430, 1867 (part: Costa Rica). Sciurus estuans var. rufoniger ALLEN, Mon. N. Am. Rodentia, pp. 757-763, 1877 (part: Costa Rica). Sciurus griseogenys ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 667-668, 1878 (part: Costa Rica, Veragua and Panama.) Sciurus hoffmannt ALLEN; Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr. Iv. pp. 885-886, 1878. =498 SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 99 Scturus estuans ALSTON, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm , pp. 132-133, 1880 (part : Costa Rica and Panama). Scturus estuans hoffmannt ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., 111, pp, 206-207, 1891 ; Ibid., 1x, p. 35, 1897; ALFARO, Mamiferos de Costa Rica, p. 31, 1897. Type locality.—Costa Rica, Central America. Distribution.—Humid tropical forests of Costa Rica, south to Val- ley of upper Cauca River, Colombia. Characters.—Size similar to that of S. @stwans, but color much darker and more rusty brown on back, more ferruginous red on under- parts, and tail heavily washed with bright ferruginous. Tail broad and flat; pelage soft and rather thin. Color.—Entire upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail, finely grizzled dark yellowish or rusty brown; top of head and middle of back usually a little darker than sides and sometimes blackish; out- side of legs and feet similar to back but often more yellowish or rusty ; ears usually a little darker rusty than top of head, with small basal patch of dingy fulvous or dull rusty; sides of head more yellowish or rusty than back; ring around eye dark buffy or sometimes rusty yellow- ish; chin and throat dull buffy yellowish, sometimes suffused with rusty; rest of underparts varying from dull rusty buff to deep ferrugi- nous; tail above black, heavily washed with bright ferruginous, some- times becoming paler but always strongly ferruginous; below with broad median area of grizzled black and dark yellowish brown, bordered with black and edged with ferruginous. Hairs on back, black with narrow sub-terminal rings of buffy or rusty yellow, sometimes with similar sub-basal rings. Variation.—The amount of variation seems to be comparatively small. Specimens from Talamanca and Santa Clara in eastern Costa Rica are darker than those from elsewhere in that country. Some from the valley of the upper Cauca River, Colombia, are a little paler or more olivaceous than Costa Rica specimens, but others from the same district are indistinguishable. Measurements.—Averages of four adults from eastern Costa Rica: total length 426.6; tail vertebre 157; hind foot 54.3. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Skull (pl. L., fig. 7) rather broad, braincase arched and inflated over interparietal region and con- stricted posteriorly, so that the occipital region is a little drawn out; audital bulle small and rounded. Five adult skulls from central and eastern Costa Rica average: basal length 43.2; palatal length 23.3; interorbital breadth 17; zygomatic breadth 31.3; length of upper molar series 9. 100 NELSON General notes.—A specimen of hoffmannz from Costa Rica (no. 12058 U. S. Nat. Museum) has been compared with the type of J/a- croxus xanthotus Gray by Mr. Thomas, who writes that they are the same except that Gray’s type is immature. The distribution of JZ griseogena Gray was given as extending from Venezuela to Mexico, but it is scarcely necessary to state that no species of squirrel has this range. Mr. Thomas writes that the question of the type of grzseogena is very difficult, but it seems best, as with tephrogaster, to take the first named specimens (Dyson’s) as the type (B. M. 47.2. 1.3). This is the only one mentioned by Gray which exactly agrees with his de- scription, and since Venzuela specimens agree best with 47.2. I. 3. that country becomes the type locality for AZ. griseogena. Mr. Thomas compared a specimen of S. @stwans from Venezuela (no. 11733 U. S. Nat. Museum) with the type of grdseogena and found them to agree very closely. The Venezuela squirrels seem to repre- sent a form of estuans paler and less rufous than hoffmannz. Specimens examined.—Twenty-five: from Boruca, Talamanca, Luis, San José and Santa Clara, Costa Rica; Rio Lima, Las Pabas, Los Tambos, Rio Zapata, Rio Pescado and upper Cauca Valley near Cali, Colombia. SCIURUS RICHMONDI Nelson. Richmond’s Squirrel. Sciurus richmondi NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, pp. ues June 3, 1898. Type locality.x—Escondido River (50 miles above Bluefields), Nicaragua. Type no. 38481 U.S. National Museum, Biological Sur- vey Collection. Distribution.—Dense humid tropical forests of the lowlands along the Escondido River. Characters.—Similar to S. @stuans hoffmannit but underparts more ochraceous and tail washed with dull yellow. VPelage thin and soft; tail slender. Teats: p.4 a.3. Color.—Upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail, nearly uniform dark, ochraceous brown, darker on crown and along middle of back; outside of fore legs and feet like sides of neck, and more ochraceous than back; outside of thighs like back, hind feet some- times like thighs, but usually more ochraceous; ears like crown, a small dingy yellow basal patch sometimes present; side of head paler or more yellowish brown than back, with a narrow ring of dark brownish buffy about eye; underparts varying from dark buffy yellow SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA LOT to dingy ferruginous; tail above black, thinly washed with dull yel- lowish; below, with broad median area grizzled yellowish brown, in- distinctly and narrowly bordered with black and thinly edged with dull yellow. Hairs on back, black with narrow subterminal (some- times median) ring of rusty yellow. Varzation.—The series at hand shows comparatively little variation. Four specimens representing the summer pelage (May 10 to Sept. 27) are rather darker above and dingy ferruginous below. Specimens in winter pelage (October to May) have more ochraceous backs and yellower bellies. Apparently there is no seasonal difference in the tail. Measurements.—Average of five adults from type locality: total length 361.4; total vertebrae 169.4; hind foot 51.6. Cranial characters.—Premolars 1. Skull averaging a little smaller than that of S. hoffmannz but otherwise very similar. Five adult skulls from the type locality average: basal length 42.1; palatal length 22.1; interorbital breadth 16.3 ; zygomatic breadth 30.4; length of upper molar series 8.3. General remarks.—Scturus richmondi bears a general resem- blance to S. deppez but is readily recognized by its yellow washed tail and single premolar. It differs from the still nearer S. @stuans hoffmanni of Costa Rica by the yellower back and underparts and the slender, yellow washed tail. Specimens examined.—Eighteen: all from the type locality. BAIOSCIURUS subgen. nov. (Pl. I, fig. 4.) SCIURUS DEPPEI Peters. Deppe’s Squirrel. Sciurus deppet PETERS, Monatsber. K. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1863, p. 654; ALSTON, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1878, pp. 668-669, (part ; Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras); ALLEN, Bull. U. S. Geol. Survey Terr., Iv, p. 885, 1878; ALsTon, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mamm. p. 133, 1880 (part; Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras); SUMICHRAST, La Natu- raleza, Vv, p. 324, 1882 ; THomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1890, p. 74; ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., Ix, p. 190, 1897. Macroxus tephrogaster Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, p. 431, 1867 (part; Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras); Ann. & Mag. Nat. PMSt mth Ser, x, Dy 406, 1072. Macroxus teniurus Gray, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, p. 431, 1867. Macroxus griseogena GRAY, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, p. 429, 1867 (part: Mexico [and Honduras ?}). Type locality. Museum. Distribution.—Humid Tropical and Austral zones from Truxillo, Papantla, Vera Cruz, Mexico. Type in Berlin 102 NELSON Honduras, northward along mountains on both coasts of Guatemala and Chiapas, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and thence along the east coast of Mexico to Papantla, Vera Cruz (alt. below 6000 feet, spo- radically up to gooo feet). Characters.—Size small; upperparts dark rufous or olive brown; fore feet and outside of fore legs dark gray in typical specimens (like back in others); tail above black thinly washed with white. Tail slender; pelage soft and rather full; under fur long; ears long and thinly haired. Teats: p.ta.41.4. Color.—Eighteen specimens from near type locality: Upperparts including top of nose and base of tail, uniform finely grizzled dark rusty brown varying to dull dark yellowish brown; ears like crown, with small. basal patch,of white or dingy fulvous; sides of head paler and more yellowish than back; outside of fore legs and fore feet dark gray, contrasting with color of back; outside of hind legs like back, with hind feet similar but a little darker; underparts white, or grayish white, sometimes buffy on breast and inside of thighs, and color of flanks sometimes extending in on inguinal area and inside of thighs; tail above, black thinly washed with white; below, with broad median area varying from grizzled ferruginous brown to dark yellowish brown, bordered with black and edged with white. Dorsal hairs black, with broad subterminal and sub-basal rings of yellowish or rusty brown. Variation.—This species presents considerable individual variation, but in view of its wide distribution there is remarkably little geograph- ical variation. Seasonal changes of pelage are not marked, the only notable differences being the frequent absence, in summer, of the ear patches and white tip of the tail, which is thus left black. There are no signs of melanism. Specimens from the vicinity of Jico and Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, and elsewhere in the higher parts of the range of the species are considerably larger than those from the low country near the type locality, but without accompanying differences in color. Specimens from the damp forests of eastern Mexico are somewhat darker along the middle of back, with underparts more inclining to fulvous than in those from interior and western Chiapas. The series from southwestern Chiapas, and a specimen from Truxillo, Honduras, are more olivaceous above and clearer white below. A specimen from central Guatemala (Coban to Clusec) is decidedly darker and more rusty above and below than the average, but other Guatemala specimens are nearly typical. Most specimens have the underparts soiled whitish or grayish, but there is every gradation through pale buffy to dark fulvous and rusty rufous. A Verreaux specimen (no. 3,5, U.S. National Mu- SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 103 seum), labeled ‘ Mexique’ is dark rusty red on chest and middle of belly. A half-grown specimen from Catemaco, Vera Cruz, has the middle of back darker than usual, the chin dingy white, rest of underparts deep rusty fulvous, and the usual white tips of hairs at end of tail replaced by rusty fulvous. A specimen from Ocuilapa, Chiapas, has the under- parts, outside of thighs and hind feet washed with ferruginous. One from west-central Vera Cruz has the underparts plumbeous gray with a faint whitish wash. Specimens from the region of the type locality usually have the outside of fore legs and fore feet finely grizzled dark gray, contrasting with back, but in those from farther south the color of the back usually extends over this area. Measurements.—Average of 5 adults from vicinity of type locality : total length 384; tail vertebre 182.4; hind foot 54.4. Average of five specimens from just below Las Vigas, Vera Cruz: total length 393,9; tail vertebre 173.4; hind foot 57.5. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. I. fig. 4) in general like that of S. hoffmannz but proportionally more slender and other- wise distinguished by the small upper premolar and longer audital bulla. Skulls from Jico and Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, are sometimes larger than ordinary specimens of S. hoffmannz but the differences in proportion remain the same. Four adult skulls from the vicinity of the type locality average: basal length 42.5; palatal length 21.6; in- terorbital breadth 15.2; zygomatic breadth 28.6; length of upper molar series 9.2. General notes.—Macroxus tephrogaster is unquestionably a syn- onym of Sczurus deppet. In the original description of AZ. tephro- gaster Gray mentions specimens from Mexico (Sallé), Guatemala, Bogota and Honduras. Mr. Thomas writes that the Sallé specimen from Mexico (B. M. 56. 8. 1. 11) may be taken as the type, since it agrees exactly with Gray’s description. A nearly typical specimen of S. deppet from Jico, Vera Cruz (no. 54,981, U. S. National Museum) was sent Mr. Thomas, who writes that it ‘*‘ matches the type of feph- rogaster and may be accepted as typical.” This proves beyond ques- tion that S. ¢ephrogaster isa synonym of S. deppez. Mr. Thomas also writes that the type of Macroxus tenturus Gray described from Guatemala, differs from a specimen of S. depfez (no. 63671, U. S. Nat. Museum) from Motzorongo, Vera Cruz, only in having the chest and belly washed with yellow—merely a matter of individual variation. Habits.—This species lives in dense humid forests and passes much of its time seeking food on the ground. It is quiet and not often heard, though now and then one will chatter and scold at an intruder. 104 NELSON In some places it is very abundant, notably on the east slope of the Cofre de Perote above Jico, Vera Cruz,and on the mountains above Tapachula, Chiapas. Specimens examined.—Seventy three: from Papantla, Jico, Las Vigas, Jalapa, Cordova, Motzorongo and Catemaco, Vera Cruz; Metlaltoyuca and Huachinango, Puebla; Reyes and mountains near Santo Domingo, Oaxaca; Ocuilapa, San Cristobal, Pinabete and Tumbala, Chiapas; Coban to Clusec and central-western Guatemala ; Truxillo, Honduras. SCIURUS NEGLIGENS Nelson. Little Gray Squirrel. Sciurus arizonensis ALSTON, Biol. Cent.-Am., Mammalia, pp. 125-126, 1880 (part: from Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico). Sciturus deppet ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Hist., N. Y., 111, p. 222, 1891 (part : from Valles, San Luis Potosi; and Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico ). Sciurus negligens NELSON, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, XII, p. 147 June 3, 1898. Type locality.—Alta Mira, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Type no. 93028 U. S. National Museum, Biological Survey Collection. Distribution.—Arid tropical forests of lowlands in extreme north- ern Vera Cruz, eastern San Luis Potosi, and southern half of Tam- aulipas, Mexico (below 1ooo ft.). Characters.—Size of S. deppez; ears longer and dull rusty; upper- parts rather pale grayish brown; underparts white or pale buffy yellow. Pelage soft and rather thin; tail thin and slender. Teats: p. 2 a.ii.d. Color.—Upperparts, including top of nose and base of tail, rather pale, finely grizzled grayish brown, generally with a slight yellowish or dull rusty suffusion, most marked posteriorly; sides of head and neck, and sometimes nape, dingy yellowish brown; ears varying from dingy rusty to dark ferruginous; a small dingy white basal patch usually present; fore feet, outside of legs, and sometimes adjacent part of shoulders, dull gray; outside of thighs and hind feet usually like rump, but toes sometimes gray; underparts white, varying to uniform deep fulvous or almost rusty yellow; inside of thighs pale buffy in white bellied specimens; chin and throat usually white; tail above black, thinly washed with white; below with broad median area grizzled and varying from yellowish to grayish brown, bordered by a thin line of black and thinly edged with white. Hairs of back black, with narrow subterminal and sub-basal rings of yellowish gray or yel- lowish brown. ee SQUIRRELS OF MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 105 Vartation.—The main variation is in the amount of rusty on the ears, and in the color of the underparts, which ranges from white to deep buffy yellow. Some specimens are considerably grayer above— less shaded with yellow—than others. No melanistic specimens seen. Spring and autumn specimens show no seasonal differences. Measurements.— Average of five adults from type locality: total length 357.4; tail vertebre 188.2; hind foot 54. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull indistinguishable from that of typical S. deppez. Four adult skulls from type locality aver- age: basal length 41.7; palatal length 21.4; interorbital breadth 15.3; zygomatic breadth 28.4; length of upper molar series 9.1. General notes.— Sciurus negligens closely resembles S. depped in size and general appearance, and inhabits the more arid country lying north of the region occupied by the latter species. It is readily dis- tinguished from S. defped by the much grayer color of the upperparts. flabits.—These squirrels are most numerous in the stunted forests of ebony, 15 to 25 feet high, which cover great areas in their range and furnish their main food supply. We found them in the greatest abundance at Velasco, San Luis Potosi, where the ground under the trees was strewn with gnawed seed pods. Specimens examined.—Twenty-three : from Alta Mira and Victoria, Tamaulipas; and Velasco and Jilitla, San Luis Potosi. Subgenus MICROSCIURUS Allen (rl. I, fig. 6; pl. II, fig. 2.) SCIURUS ALFARI Allen. Alfaro’s Pigmy Squirrel. Sciurus ( Microsciurus) alfart ALLEN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., N. Y., Vil p. 333, Nov. 8, 1895 ; Ibid., 1x, p. 35, 1897: Scturus alfart ALFARO, Mamiferos de Costa Rica, pp. 31-32, 1897. Type locality.—Jiménez, Costa Rica. Type no. 129°, Ameri- can Museum of Natural History, New York. Distribution.—Dense humid forests of northern, eastern and south- western Costa Rica. Characters.—Size very small; ears short and rounded, upperparts dark, minutely grizzled reddish brown, the reddish most intense on nose and sides of head; ring about eye reddish buffy. Pelage soft and dense; tail slender. Teats: p. } a. }1. ¢. Color.—(Of type): Entire upperparts including ears and outside of legs, minutely grizzled dark brown, suffused with dull rufous ; rufous most intense on head and brightest on narrow ring about eye; feet and toes grizzled rusty brown slightly paler than back; chin, throat, 106 NELSON chest and inside of fore legs pale dull ferruginous, shading posteriorly into dark brown, with only a slight wash of reddish along middle of belly and inside of thighs; tail at base like back; remainder of tail all around, grizzled dark reddish brown and black with fine yellowish brown tips to hairs; hairs of extreme tip forming a black pencil. Hairs on back black with narrow subterminal rings of rusty yel- lowish. Variatton.—Two adults, including the type and one partly grown young, show but little variation except in color of underparts. The immature specimen is slightly more reddish on back and tail; the cheeks, chin, throat, chest and line down middle of abdomen are dark dull ferruginous, and the sides of abdomen are similar to flanks. The other adult is like the type except in the dull brownish buffy of the underparts. Measurements.—Average of two adults (from dry skins): total length 251; tail vertebra 109; hind foot 37. Cranial characters.—Premolars 2. Skull (pl. I, fig. 6; pl. II, fig. 2) short, broad, and much arched over top of braincase, the con- vex outline descending in an almost unbroken curve to edge of occiput; rostrum short and broad, especially at base where the upper parts of the premaxillaries are very broad and heavy; jugals very broad verti- cally, much more so than in the other species examined in this sub- genus. Measurements of type skull: basal length 29.5 ; palatal length 14.2; interorbital breadth 13; zygomatic breadth 22; length of upper molar series 6. General notes.—Little is known about the interesting squirrels of the subgenus AZcroscturus, but, as suggested by Dr. Allen, further work in Central and South America is revealing other species. Mr. Cherrie collected the type in the forest on the slope of the Volcano of Turrialba, near Jiménez, Costa Rica, and the species has been found since in several other parts of the country. Specimens examined.—Three: from Jiménez, San Carlos, and Re- ventazon, Costa Rica. = ke «a price 232 hier eee PLATE I. Skulls of g subgenera of Tropical American Squirrels. [Natural size. | Figs. 1. S. (Parascturus) ludovicianus limttis. Kickapoo Springs, Texas. (No. 7325 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) 2. S. (Otoscturus) durangt. El Salto, Durango, Mexico. (No. 94580 $ ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) 3. S. (Are@oscturus) oculatus. Las Vigas, Vera Cruz, Mexico. (No. 54238 ¢ ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) 4. S. (Batoscturus) deppez. Wuauchinango, Puebla, Mexico. (No. 92998 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) ( Hesperoscturus) griseus. Trout Lake, Washington. (No. 89006 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus. ) . (Microscturus) alfart. Jiménez, Costa Rica. (No. 9554 g ad. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.) . (Guerlinguetus) estuans hofimannt. Talamanca, Costa Rica. (No. 2811 g¢ ad. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.) . (Lamiasciurus) douglast mearnst. San Pedro Martir Mts., Lower California, Mexico. (No. 25170 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) 9g. S. (Echinosciurus) aureogaster. Alta Mira, Tamaulipas, Mexico. (No. 93034 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) Go GH H (108) PLATE |. Proc. WasH. Acap. Sci., Vot.|. SkKuLLts OF MEXICAN SQUIRRELS. BEATE Sn: Skulls of Tropical American Squirrels. [Natural size. ] Figs. 1. 45 S. (Echinosciurus) boothie belt?. Escondido River, Nicaragua. (No. 48847 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus. ) S. (Microsciurus) alfart. Jiménez, Costa Rica. (No. 9554 @ ad. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist.) S. (Echinosciurus) poliopus. Cerro San Felipe, Oaxaca, Mexico. (No. 68183 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus. ) S. (Hesperoscturus) griseus. Trout Lake, Washington. (No. 89006 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) S. (Echinoscturus) boothie belti?. Escondido River, Nicaragua. (No. 48847 9 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) S. (Echinosciurus) thomast. 'Talamanca, Costa Rica. (No. 23367 ad. U. S. Nat. Mus.) (110) PLATE II. SKuLts oF MEXICAN SQUIRRELS. Heliotype Printing Co. Boston. " a _ ay ye a5 | ” ; We 7 : no ei ar ie 7 w., La ' a my ; A wt py ; i 7 , 4 ae Sta a ; 7 J iG } a tH ‘ ' i 7 ! : : 7 : a — a I ‘oe io - . 7 ; a 7 7 - - te y. : ij 7 TN 7 i i l Wis eae ia a ; a > _ on ma a ' ia iw -— j : - i os , ' | i : PA, 4 : 7 4 ‘. i | 5 - 7 a ; a? 7) ho , Th 7 : > 7 a 7 _ an - ty a , Many : : i a a ny 7 Lt _ a 7 _s ’ 7 le i i mir Ly : a ” i. = © | an nm} fh Yn 7 im _ 7 , r - : : io ‘ : _ an x . 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